Integrated Life Cycle Cost Research Articles

Linking the UN sustainable development goals to life cycle impact applied to a university campus

Purpose The study aims to explore the relationship between the SDGs and the environmental and social impacts of university classes. It evaluates the potential contributions of different teaching models to the SDGs, providing insights into sustainable teaching systems. Findings In-person classes exhibited hotspots in transportation and energy consumption. Scenarios I and II, involving virtual and hybrid classes, increased eutrophication potential and water scarcity due to higher food consumption, negatively impacting SDGs. However, all scenarios showed positive contributions to SDGs 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Design/methodology/approach This research integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the environmental and social impacts of classes at the Federal University of São Carlos, Sorocaba campus in Brazil. Three scenarios were analyzed: (I) virtual classes, (II) hybrid classes and (III) in-person classes with improved energy efficiency. Research limitations/implications The study primarily focuses on environmental and social impacts, excluding other factors like class quality. Integrating Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment could provide a more holistic evaluation in the future. Practical implications The methodology adopted offers valuable insights for managing the impacts of university performance and aligning teaching systems with the SDGs. It enables institutions to make informed decisions for sustainability in education. Social implications The research emphasizes the importance of considering social impacts alongside environmental ones when assessing sustainability in educational institutions. It encourages universities to engage stakeholders in sustainability efforts. Originality/value This research innovatively combines LCA and the SDGs in the context of university education providing a replicable methodology for evaluating and enhancing sustainability in teaching systems and from a more quantitative perspective.

Economic sustainability assessment of Mediterranean crops: A comparative Life Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis

The production of food with beneficial health effects is at the attention of consumer entrepreneurs and public decision-makers. Plants with established health benefits such as almonds, olives from which olive oil is made, and figs have always been cultivated in the Mediterranean basin. In the past, these three crops were widely cultivated in Italy, particularly in the southern part, where the best soil and climate conditions persisted. Today, however, almond and fig production is at an all-time low. The present study aims to assess the economic sustainability of investments in shell almond, olive, and fig farms by integrating Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodology with specific economic indicators. In addition, a comparison between the three crops is made based on all economic results. The analysis allowed for the consideration of all costs over the entire life cycle of the investments, streamlining business decision-making for the choice between different alternatives. The results demonstrated greater economic profitability of investments in shelled almonds and dried figs and an adequate level of profitability. On the other hand, the results for olive trees were low. In this context, the production of almonds and figs could represent an important agribusiness chain, useful for the improvement of the rural economy.

Improved Performance of Toll Road Projects Based on System Dynamics Integrated Life Cycle Cost Analysis Green Retrofitting

The increasing number of infrastructure development efforts, one of which is toll roads, of course has a coordinated impact on natural damage because it causes emissions, pollution, and environmental damage. Green road rankings can be an instrument for the degree of implementation of green infrastructure and the level of reforestation in toll road development efforts. Guidelines for green road ranking SE Minister of PUPR. Number: 04/SE/M/2018 is one of the efforts to encourage the implementation of sustainable construction in infrastructure implementation. Furthermore, these green road points can be implemented on existing toll roads and meet the sustainability criteria. This study aims in the innovation of Dynamic Model Implementation and Life Cycle Cost Analysis on Green Infrastructure-based Toll Road works which will result in Cost Efficiency and add value to Toll Roads. For data processing, we used SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), a statistical analysis obtained from a questionnaire filled out by experts. From this process, we got the 10 best factors which are: 1. Authority to administer toll roads; 2. Reduction of air/dust pollution; 3. Greening; 4. Provision of access and public transportation facilities; 5. Recycle construction waste; 6. Renewable energy and application of innovation; 7. Renewable energy street lighting; 8. Modeling of dynamic systems; 9. Initial Retrofitting Costs; 10. Period of analysis. From the green retrofitting implementation scenarios, the optimistic scenario shows the highest rating score and the fastest return on investment in 3.92 years, with the toll road retrofitting cost of IDR 378,700,000,000.

Integrated Life Cycle Cost Comparison and Environment Impact Analysis of the Concrete and Asphalt Roads

India is leveraging ingenious inventions to execute the most complex road projects in a timely and eco-friendly manner, with the additional advantage of lower project life-cycle costs. Massive road infrastructure development in the country would yield a multiplier effect on development. Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is an important method to properly control the expenditure on the construction and maintenance of infrastructure system. It assists in figuring out a cost-effective technology to adopt during the design period of a project for a feasible pavement design. This study is an attempt to perform a detailed life-cycle cost analysis of concrete and asphalt roads. Also, the Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) of concrete and bitumen roads are performed in terms of Green House Gases (GHGs) emissions. A 30-year analysis period is adopted for performing LCCA per km length of concrete and bitumen pavements. The Net Present Value (NPV) method is used for calculating the life-cycle cost. EIA is carried out during various phases such as raw materials sourcing, manufacturing of dense bituminous macadam and concrete, laying and maintenance of roads. The results show that the concrete roads are 20% economical than the bitumen roads in terms of LCCA carried out for a 30-year analysis period. Also, the bitumen pavement entails more energy during per year period than concrete pavement. The study of life-cycle cost indicates that the maintenance and user costs of concrete pavement are much lower as compared to bitumen pavement. LCCA and EIA study indicates that the concrete pavements may be given preference over bitumen pavements as it offers dual advantage of lowering environmental impact by reducing the volume of construction materials and lower maintenance costs with long life span.

Integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) in the early phases of aircraft structural design: an elevator case study

The main objective of this paper is to develop a model that will combine economic and environmental assessment tools to support the composite material selection of aircraft structures in the early phases of design and application of the tool for an aircraft elevator. An integrated life cycle cost (LCC) and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used as part of the sustainable design approach for the laminate stacking sequence design. The model considered is the aircraft structure made of carbon fiber reinforce plastic prepreg and processed via hand layup-autoclave process which is the preferred method for the aircraft industry. The model was applied to a cargo aircraft elevator case study by comparing six different laminate configurations and two different carbon fiber prepreg materials across aircraft’s entire life cycle. The results show, in line with other studies using different methodologies (e.g., life cycle engineering, or LCE), that the combination of LCA with LCC is a worthwhile approach for comparing the different laminate configurations in terms of cost and environmental impact to support composite laminate stacking design by providing the best trade-off between cost and environment. Elevator LCC reduces 19% by changing the material type and applying different ply orientations. Elevator LCA score reduces 53% by selecting the optimum instead of best technical solution that minimizes the displacement. Improving the structural performance does not always lead to an increase in the cost.

Integrated life cycle cost method for sustainable structural design by focusing on a benchmark office building in Australia

Cost has been traditionally known as a key factor that needs to be considered in the decision making process. Recent awareness in environmental problems has highlighted the need for considering environmental impacts into the process of making choices. However, far too little attention has been paid to reflect the environmental impact and the building cost into the decision making process. As such, this study proposed a method that integrates and considers the environmental cost and building cost in the structural design process. This method takes into account the cost associated with building materials, construction methods and amount of embodied carbon emission during the life cycle of buildings. The current study analysed the effects of two construction systems (Flat slab and waffle slab) and two structural materials (Normal concrete and Ultra-lightweight concrete) on overall costs of a typical high rise concrete structure (15-story office building) in Australia (NS11401.1 2014). The results show that the office building designed with lightweight construction method (waffle slab) and normal concrete (Normal weight) has a lower life cycle cost (50 year lifespan) in comparison with the other design alternatives. It was found that an appropriate selecting of construction forms and type of concrete can save up to 7% of the cost of material consumption, 5% of the total energy consumption expense, and 5% of the CO2-e emissions of the building across all five major cities. This study demonstrates a method to quantify the potential impact of Ultra-lightweight concrete has on the life cycle cost and carbon emissions of commercial buildings. The proposed methodology to assess life cycle cost and environmental impact can be used as a supporting tool in selection of efficient construction methods and structural materials over the lifetime of building.

Incorporating Road User Costs into Integrated Life-Cycle Cost Analyses for Infrastructure Sustainability: A Case Study on Sr-91 Corridor Improvement Project (Ca)

Life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is a decision-making tool that allows governing agencies the ability to assess several long-term alternative investment options. This paper presents a LCCA analysis process which integrates the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) program, RealCost (a road user cost calculation program), the FHWA-endorsed Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS) and Caltrans specific design tools (CalFP and CalAC), into the existing Caltrans LCCA process (a modified version of the FHWA LCCA process). In using tools backed by the FHWA and validated through previous agency use, the presented process has a potential to be replicated on urban corridor improvement projects across the US while aiding agencies in achieving economical sustainability throughout the infrastructure maintenance phases. This paper also fills the gap identified by Ozbay et al. in 2004, incorporating road user cost calculations into the LCCA process. Validation was achieved through the execution of the recently completed $1.4 B US California SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project. The SR-91 team used the presented tool to choose one of the two alternatives (maintain HOV SR-91 lane and add I-15 HOV lane using long-life Portland Cement Concrete Pavement or add Express Lane to SR-91 and I-15 using long-life Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement and Asphalt Concrete Pavement), equating to an estimated life-cost savings of $32 M.

An economic sustainability assessment of “Fichi di Cosenza” PDO production compared with other profitable permanent crops

In Calabria Region (Southern Italy), the province of Cosenza represents an important area for figs growing belonging to cultivar 'Dottato' that is used to produce the quality-branded dried figs “Fichi di Cosenza” PDO (protected designation of origin). In the last years, due to a significant increase of dried figs consumption, a growth of public subsidies aimed to introduce innovative practices in figs orchards has occurred. The present paper aims to evaluate the economic sustainability of investments in fig tree farms, by integrating life cycle costing (LCC) methodology with specific economic indicators. Furthermore, a comparison between fig orchards and other local and profitable permanent crops has been carried out, on the basis of all economic results. The analysis allowed to account for all costs during the whole lifetime of investments, by rationalizing the corporate decision-making process for the choice between different alternatives. Results showed the economic viability of 'Dottato' fig investments and a suitable level of profitability. In this context, figs production could represent an important small-scale agro-food supply chain useful to the improvement of rural economy and to enhancement of local quality food.

Life-cycle cost analysis of optimal timing of pavement preservation

Optimal application of pavement preservation or preventive maintenance is critical for highway agencies to allocate the limited budget for different treatments. This study developed an integrated life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) model to quantify the impact of pavement preservation on agency cost and vehicle operation cost (VOC) and analyzed the optimal timing of preservation treatments. The international roughness index (IRI) data were extracted from the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) program specific pavement studies 3 (SPS-3) to determine the long-term effectiveness of preservation treatments on IRI deterioration. The traffic loading and the initial IRI value significantly affects life extension and the benefit of agency cost caused by pavement preservation. The benefit in VOC is one to two orders greater in magnitude as compared to the benefit in agency cost. The optimal timing calculated based on VOC is always earlier than the optimal timing calculated based on agency cost. There are considerable differences among the optimal timing of three preservation treatments.

Integrating Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Model for Selection of Centralized Chilled Water Generation — Review Paper

This paper presents a review of literature relating to Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) in Gas District Cooling plant. The gas district cooling plant uses either vapour compression process or absorption process for the chilled water generation. Both processes have impacts on the economic aspects as well as the contribution to CO 2 emissions; thus, integration of the cost and environmental analysis of both processes are necessary. An extensive body of literature exists on both subjects, however, there is very limited number of available literature on the integration of LCC and LCA. The purpose of this review is to find the most suitable optimization model which can integrate the LCC and LCA to provide the best decision in choosing the most cost-effective and environment-friendly system. This review assesses the literature from thirty-four journals, research papers, and case reports from the year 1995 to 2017. The result of this review shows that the goal programming methodology is the appropriate method for integrating LCC and LCA because it provides the optimal decision in choosing the most cost-effective, environment-friendly system for the chilled water generation.

L'approccio Life Cycle Costing (LCC) come strumento di supporto alle decisioni: la valutazione economico-finanziaria di un impianto di produzione del miele in Calabria

The aim of the research is to contribute to the experimentation of methodologies for cost effectiveness and economic sustainability assessment concerning investments in agri-food sector, and testing the applicability of the method to supply chains of minor produces. Elaborations have been made integrating Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodology, that allows to analyse in detail outflows linked to every phase of lifespan investment (planning, implementation, management and disposal), and financial analysis through specific indicators consenting to formulate evaluations of economic sustainability. Results show that the integration of these methodologies can be a useful tool to support investment choices, but also to improve management performances, from an economic perspective, of actors operating in supply chains of minor produces. The application to the case study highlights how integrated LCC methods can be exported and applied to similar supply chains. Il lavoro si propone di fornire un contributo per l’approfondimento di metodologie utili per valutare la convenienza e la sostenibilita economica di investimenti in ambito agroalimentare, verificando l’applicabilita del metodo utilizzato ad una filiera minore, in un’ottica di esportabilita ad altre filiere simili. Per le elaborazioni si e fatto ricorso all’utilizzo congiunto della metodologia Life Cycle Costing (LCC), che consente di analizzare in maniera dettagliata i flussi in uscita connessi a tutte le fasi di vita utile dell’investimento (progettazione e costruzione, gestione e dismissione) e dell’analisi finanziaria utilizzando specifici indicatori che permettono di esprimerne appropriati giudizi di convenienza economica. I risultati ottenuti possono fornire elementi utili sia di supporto alle scelte di investimento aziendale sia per il miglioramento delle performance gestionali-organizzative degli operatori che agiscono lungo le filiere agroalimentari minori, interessati al miglioramento dell’efficienza economica dell’impresa. L’implementazione della metodologia al caso studio evidenzia che l’LCC come metodo integrato possa essere esportato ad altre filiere simili.

要求分析と統合的ライフサイクルコスト評価に基づいた鉄道信号システム構築手法の検討

要求分析と統合的ライフサイクルコスト評価に基づいた鉄道信号システム構築手法の検討

Bridge Deck Management System with Integrated Life-Cycle Cost Optimization

Bridge management systems can be classified as one of two types: network level or project level. The former type is concerned with the prioritization of bridges for inclusion in an upcoming maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation program, and the latter focuses on the repairs that suit the components of a selected bridge. Even though these types are interrelated, most bridge management research treats them as separate aspects. A comprehensive framework is presented for a bridge deck management system that aims at integrating project-and network-level decisions into a unified model to optimize costs at both levels. The novelty of the proposed approach stems from three main aspects: incorporating project-level repair options along with their performance improvements and cost implications; incorporating many flexible and practical features such as variable yearly budget limits, variable yearly discount rates, and optional methods for handling project-level repairs (e.g., single or multiple visits); and using a powerful genetic algorithm-based optimization to consider both project- and network-level variables into bridge life-cycle cost optimization. The proposed model and its implementation are described, and an example application is presented. Although this research focuses on bridge decks, details on future improvements to incorporate all bridge components are outlined.

Green QFD-II: A life cycle approach for environmentally conscious manufacturing by integrating LCA and LCC into QFD matrices

Green Quality Function Deployment-II (GQFD-II), a new methodology for product development or improvement, is introduced in this paper. By integrating Life Cycle Costing (LCC) into QFD matrices and deploying quality, environmental and cost requirements throughout the entire product development process, GQFD-II elaborates the original GQFD, in which Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and QFD are combined to evaluate different product concepts. GQFD-II includes three major phases. Phase I Technical Requirement Identification. Quality house, green house and cost house are established in this phase, where customer, environmental and cost requirements are established and documented. Phase II Product Concept Generation. A series of product concepts are generated to satisfy the requirements established from Phase I. These concepts can be evaluated with respect to quality, environment and cost. The best product concept is then selected. Phase III Product/Process Design. In this phase, the requirements from previous phases are deployed into all product/process design stages, so that a series of matrices can be established, including: design deployment, process planning, production planning, maintenance planning, and retirement planning. In this paper, an illustrative example (engine filters) is used to demonstrate the concept of GQFD-II.

Integrated Modeling for Launch System Architecture Optimization

ABSTRACTIn a world of increasing competition and declining government space budgets, the emphasis in new launch system design has shifted from performance optimization to cost reduction. Architects making complex launch system design decisions are handicapped by the unavailability of analytical tools that provide an integrated life cycle cost analysis that quantifies the impact of design decisions. Vehicle performance, operational efficiency, reliability and ground system design all have a major effect on cost. This paper focuses on a research effort to integrate 6 separate models developed at The Aerospace Corporation to provide an integrated launch system assessment capability. The impact on the system architecting process will be discussed as well as the ability to identify and prioritize necessary design enhancements or new technologies.