Integrated Life Cycle Analysis Research Articles

Low-carbon technological innovation of coal production and utilization impetus carbon neutrality in China.

European energy crisis, triggered by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, has again drawn attention to the decarbonization of fossil energy sources. However, few studies have objectively considered coal from an integrated life cycle and its position in the energy system. In the present study, we used the integrated life cycle analysis and fixed-effect panel threshold model to reveal that (1) power generation and heating and iron and steel smelting are the highest CO2 emission sectors. In addition, the coal chemical industry and power generation and heating are the two sectors with the highest contribution rate of CO2 emissions. (2) Based on these, underground coal gasification (UCG) and underground coal gasification-integrated gasification combined cycle (UCG-IGCC) technologies were introduced to innovate the coal life cycle (the process cycle of coal production and utilization). The panel threshold model has proved that when the energy intensity falls in the interval 0.363-2.599, UCG-IGCC technology could be the complement in mitigating CO2 emissions. (3) Finally, for the same amount of emission mitigations, the social cost of innovating coal production and utilization processes using UCG-IGCC technology will be lower than phasing out coal-fired power plants using carbon prices. For China, UCG-IGCC and renewable energy should be developed simultaneously.

Integrated Life Cycle Analysis of Cost and CO2 Emissions from Vehicles and Construction Work Activities in Highway Pavement Service Life

In this study, we aimed to provide a practical method to estimate the economic and environmental impact of vehicle and work activities throughout the entire service life of a pavement area to support pavement management strategies and decisions. To achieve this, we integrated two key life cycle analysis methods, life cycle assessment (LCA)) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA). The integrated model not only considers CO2 emissions associated with the four main modules—the materials module, the work activities module, the work zone module and the usage module—mentioned in LCA, it also considers agency costs and user costs related to highway usage, work activities, work zone traffic delays and detours in the LCCA process. We used detailed and integrated methods to compute CO2 emissions and costs based on the four modules and two components of agency and users mentioned above. A case study based on a real freeway project in China was used to verify the applicability of the integrated model. The results of the application of the integrated LCA-LCCA model indicate that maintaining the typical activity profile could be beneficial in terms of both CO2 emissions and cost, with savings of 36.8 ton/lane/km of CO2 emissions and 10,530 USD/lane/km (in 2007 dollars) representing the total benefits during the pavement’s service life. This means that timely maintenance could help to achieve savings in terms of financial costs and CO2 emissions simultaneously.

Forestry based products as climate change solution: Integrating life cycle assessment with techno-economic analysis

This study establishes an integrated life cycle analysis and techno-economic assessment to evaluate costs and carbon footprint impacts of an integrated forest biorefinery that produces lumber, industrial sugar and wood pellets in a planned biomass conversion center in the Pontiac region of Quebec (Canada). An integrated evaluation approach combining levelized cost and carbon footprint accounting was adopted for assessing the implementation of this novel advanced biorefinery concept taking into account different biomass feedstock, diversified product portfolio (sugar, lignin, bio-oil, electricity and lumber) and multiple biomass conversion technologies. The conclusion of this study is that if the GHG emission is considered as the basis of the ranking system, the production of wood pellets would emit less (1.2 kg/T) and that of lumber, and sugar would emit most respectively (3.3 kg/T and 98.4 kg/DT). This is whereas if the ranking would be performed based on the cost, the sequence would be the production of lumber, pellet, and sugar.

A life cycle analysis techno-economic assessment framework for evaluating future technology pathways – The residential air-conditioning example

Clarity on cost and environmental benefits of individual technologies evaluated in a systemic and systematic manner is necessary in communicating the results at the policy level so as to enable effective decisions. Yet, the highly complex nature of many energy modelling tools makes it difficult for non-specialists to interpret and make sense of their results. An integrated life cycle analysis and techno-economic assessment framework is proposed in this study, as a first step towards developing an alternative and potentially more intuitive energy systems modelling tool. The residential air-conditioning sector in the Southeast Asian context is used as an example to demonstrate the advantages of the modelling methodology in profiling future technology pathways. The use of best available R32 technology can lead to cumulative savings of 2195 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the region by 2050; while the best available R407C technology has an average cost of $40.85 per tonne of greenhouse gas abatement. In addition, our modelling tool is capable of profiling energy outlooks for emerging economies and will be further integrated with hourly energy analysis frameworks in the next steps of development.

Advancing the Design of Resilient and Sustainable Buildings: An Integrated Life-Cycle Analysis

AbstractA holistic evaluation of a building’s environmental impact must include a thorough accounting of both its operating and embodied energies, inclusive of the influence of hazard-induced damag...

Life cycle costing and externalities to analyze circular economy strategy: Comparison between aluminum packaging and tinplate

In the circular economy (CE), the importance of the evaluation of costs, benefits, and externalities capturing the variables involved in a product's life cycle are gaining attention both in the literature and with practitioners. In many cases, costs are isolated across the various life cycle stages and addressed in fragmented ways. The literature indicates the importance of developing and implementing life cycle costing methods from the perspective of the product/material flow life cycle. Numerical application of the product structure-based integrated life cycle analysis (PSILA) with the externalities demonstrates how this method can assist in the management of circular businesses. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the benefits of using aluminum packaging in the food sector by combining the life cycle costing (LCC) model and externalities in the CE. The results obtained through the LCC concept and externalities indicate an economic benefit and CO2 reduction. This paper seeks to fill the research gap regarding expenditures and benefits for the analysis of production costs, environmental impacts, and externalities in an integrated manner.

Adaptation of the Product Structure-based Integrated Life cycle Analysis (PSILA) technique for carbon footprint modelling and analysis of closed-loop production systems

In a previous work, the Product Structure-based Integrated Life cycle Analysis (PSILA) technique was developed to conduct cost modelling and analysis of closed-loop production systems. In this paper, we expand the utility of this technique into carbon footprint (CFP) modelling and analysis of closed-loop production systems – enabling companies to make informed decisions on whether to adopt closed-loop production based not only on economic but also environmental performance. A description of the PSILA technique applied for carbon footprint modelling and analysis is explained, followed by a case study of closed-loop production of a flat-panel display (FPD) monitor to validate the technique. We verified the CFP result simulated by the model built through the PSILA technique, or PSILA-CFP model in short, against the result generated by a model built through the conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. A benchmarking analysis was then conducted to compare the closed-loop production system against the linear production system. Through this analysis, we demonstrated how the CFP result can be broken down based on the product structure, thus enabling us to granularise the result and trace the impact of implementing a closed-loop production system to the individual modules, components and materials that are recovered, reutilised or treated in the system. The results were able to show that the implementation of the closed-loop production system for the FPD monitor can potentially result in an overall CFP reduction of 39.91 million kg CO2e, of which 90.03% is contributed by the closed-loop recycling of ABS. The other significant contributors of CFP reduction are from the closed-loop material recycling of the aluminium, which accounts for 8.13 million kg CO2e or 20.37% of the total CFP reduction. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out to investigate the effects of data uncertainties, which may invalidate assumptions made in the case study. In summary, we have successfully adapted the PSILA technique so as to provide decision support in the form of analytical insights on how a closed-loop production system will perform in terms of carbon footprint, why it performs this way and what to look out for if the decision is made to implement such a system.

Integration of green quality function deployment and fuzzy theory: a case study on green mobile phone design

In recent years, due to global climate change, the imbalance between economic development and environmental protection has become a topical subject. The cause of such imbalance is that environmental protection is not included in the product design and research and design phase by enterprises. Through green quality function deployment, this study integrated life cycle analysis into green design during the product research and design process, and applied the fuzzy theory to reduce customers' subjective judgment in semantics. A research and design model for green design was developed. The fuzzy green quality function deployment showed that customers considerably concern about ‘whether toxic materials are used in mobile design and production (15%)’, ‘whether there is excessive energy consumption in the circuit design (14%)’, and ‘whether the design of the battery can affect the environment (12%)’. This study developed a product research and design tool that considers the environment, quality, cost, and customer demand. Using fuzzy theory and quality planning, this study determined the importance of product design in technical attributes. It is expected that limited corporate resources can be applied in the key technical factor, thus developing a product research and design model to balance economic development and environmental protection.

Product Structure-Based Integrated Life Cycle Analysis (PSILA): a technique for cost modelling and analysis of closed-loop production systems

Abstract As closed-loop production becomes an increasingly viable strategy for product life cycle management, cost modelling and analytical tools for closed-loop production systems will become increasingly important. Existing tools based on life cycle costing (LCC) methods are lacking an integrated life cycle perspective in their approach – a perspective that cannot be overlooked when modelling closed-loop production systems. In this paper, we aim to solve this lack of integrated life cycle approach by proposing the product structure-based integrated life cycle analysis (PSILA) technique. It allows us to streamline the process of modelling a closed-loop production system for a complex product based on its product structure. Through this technique, we developed a cost model of a closed-loop production system for a flat-panel (FPD) monitor case study. In this case study, the results simulated by the cost model show an increase in the economic performance when closed-loop production is adopted for the FPD monitor. Deeper analysis of the results in the case study indicate that in order to improve the economic performance of the closed-loop production system for the FPD monitor, the best strategy is not to merely focus on the reutilisation of materials. Instead, the option to remanufacture the FPD monitor for the secondary market should be explored to maximise the value reclaimed from the monitors in the EoL phase. The case study demonstrates that the cost model developed through the PSILA technique has the ability to function as a tool for analysing the economic performance of closed-loop production systems. More importantly, it has the ability to provide us with strategic insights on the cost feasibility of adopting closed-loop production strategies.

Methodology for an Integrated Life Cycle Approach to Design for Environment

To ensure that the economic and environmental impact over the entire product life cycle is taken into consideration during the design process, an integrated life cycle approach to Design for Environment (DfE) must be taken. In this paper, we describe the application of the product structure-based methodology for integrated life cycle analysis as a DfE decision-support tool. While maintaining an integrated perspective of the product life cycle, this methodology modularises the product life cycle model to the individual parts of the product structure; thus, allowing product designers to analyse the parts independently from the rest of the product system and enabling them to systematically evaluate the design alternatives. Using a case study on a dive torchlight, we demonstrate how through our proposed methodology, design alternatives for the product can be evaluated based on the life cycle eco-efficiency.

Building asset management with deficiency tracking and integrated life cycle optimisation

This paper introduces a comprehensive building asset management system with a unique formulation in which all functions from inspection, to deterioration modelling, and life cycle analysis, track the dynamics of building deficiencies. The system also incorporates an integrated life cycle analysis that determines both the optimum repair-types and the optimum repair-timings for a large network of buildings with hundreds of components. To handle the large-scale optimisation involved, a two-phase optimisation procedure has been introduced and its powerful performance validated on various size networks. The paper provides a description of the proposed asset management system and discusses its implementation in a user-friendly prototype that suits a large school board in North America. The proposed asset management system is innovative and helps organisations with large building assets improve the overall condition of their inventory with highest return on the limited repair budget.

Indicators for Valorisation of Municipal Solid Waste and Special Waste

Indicators are important tools that assist decision-makers in formulating and implementing plans for the management of waste at local, national and international levels. An indicator is an elementary datum or a simple combination of data capable of measuring an observed phenomenon. Indicators are there to enhance communication about the environment and to serve as a tool for policy-making. Indicators can be used to track progress over time, or to compare characteristics between one or more communities, companies, agencies, departments, products or processes. By examining these indicators over time or between different regions, communities, etc., improvements or setbacks in resource use and waste generation can be identified. In addition, these indicators can be used to illustrate the shift in industrial strategy away from end-of-pipe processes towards waste recycling, cleaner production and integrated lifecycle analysis. Different sets of environmental indicators that convey information about waste valorisation at the regional level have been developed. Indicators of reuse, recycling and other recovery like energetic valorisation related to different kinds of waste are presented. In this paper two groups of indicators are defined; the first one evaluates the valorisation of different components of municipal solid waste: treatment of municipal solid waste, recycling of glass packaging, recycling of paper and cardboard, valorisation of light packaging and energy produced from municipal solid waste. The second one evaluates the valorisation of different kinds of special waste with other kinds of treatments applied to this special waste: treatment of construction and demolition waste, used tyres management, production and disposal of municipal wastewater sewage sludge, and collection and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The obtained indicators of the defined methodology are applied to the region of Cantabria (Spain) presenting that the waste management in this region is good. The information of the indicators can serve as a reference for decision-making and implementing useful tools for enhancing the valorisation of waste at the regional level.

A flowsheeting approach to integrated life cycle analysis

The objective of life cycle analysis is to determine the total environmental impact of any given product. The paper addresses the problem of branched production chains incorporating multi-product plant and inter-process recycle (or reuse). We show that in such chains no product can be assigned an unambiguous environmental impact. Furthermore, the traditional approaches to LCA can lead to some environmental impacts being assigned multiple times and others omitted altogether. The paper introduces the important mass-balance principle that the sum total of all actual environmental impacts should equal the sum total of impacts assigned to the range of products. We describe a method for ensuring material balance in integrated LCA over a multi-product branched production chain. The method is illustrated by application to a desulphurization process. The method allows operators to assign environmental cost to any product according to their own judgement. The judgement is akin to assigning costs to individual products from a multi-product facility. Nevertheless, no matter how the judgement is applied, material balance must be maintained. It is noted that nearly all production chains include multi-product facilities. Environmentally, multi-product facilities are frequently superior because they minimize waste production. However, in traditional LCA, such processes may score badly because their full environmental cost is assigned to more than one product stream. The methods put forward correct the imbalance. A note on recycle and reuse. The chemical industry differentiates between recycle and reuse. “Recycle” is applied to reuse within the same process. For example, unconverted raw material recycled to a reactor. The process design ensures that the recycled material is used on site without transportation, and that the production is exactly balanced with the use. “Reuse” is use of the waste from one process as an input to another process. Reused material may need to be transported and may need preliminary processing before it can be reused. Under this definition, domestic recycled waste is actually reused waste (such as reused waste paper). We follow the convention of differentiating between reuse and recycle.