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1.
The development of the LCIA programme of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative started with a global survey of LCA practitioners.
There were 91 LCIA-specific responses from all global regions. Respondents gave an indication of how they use LCA with respect
to both the stage of LCA that they base decisions on (LCI, LCIA or a combination of both) as well as the types of decisions
which they support with LCA information. The issues requiring immediate attention within the UNEP SETAC Life Cycle Initiative
identified from this User Needs analysis are the need for transparency in the methodology, for scientific confidence and for
scientific co-operation as well as the development of a recommended set of factors and methodologies. Of interest is the fact
that results from the different regions highlighted the need for different impact categories. Based on this information proposals
were made for new impact categories to be included in LCA (and thus LCIA).
The LCIA programme aims to enhance the availability of sound LCA data and methods and to deliver guidance on their use. More
specifically, it aims to 1) make results and recommendations widely available for users through the creation of a worldwide
accessible information system and 2) establish recommended characterisation factors and related methodologies for the different
impact categories, possibly consisting of sets at both midpoint and damage level. The work of the LCIA programme of the UNEP/SETAC
Life Cycle Initiative has been started within four task forces on 1) LCIA information system and framework, 2) natural resources
and land use, 3) toxic impacts, and 4) transboundary impacts. All participants willing to contribute to these efforts are
invited to contact the LCIA programme manager or to join the next LCIA workgroup meeting that will take place in at the world
SETAC congress in Portland on Thursday 18 November 2004. 相似文献
2.
Goal and Background Current Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) procedures have demonstrated certain limitations in the South African manufacturing
industry context. The aim of this paper is to propose a modified LCIA procedure, which is based on the protection of resource
groups.
Methods A LCIA framework is introduced that applies the characterisation procedure of available midpoint categories, with the exception
of land use. Characterisation factors for land occupation and transformation is suggested for South Africa. A distanceto-target
approach is used for the normalisation of midpoint categories, which focuses on the ambient quality and quantity objectives
for four resource groups: Air, Water, Land and Mined Abiotic Resources. The quality and quantity objectives are determined
for defined South African Life Cycle Assessment (SALCA) Regions and take into account endpoint or damage targets. Following
the precautionary approach, a Resource Impact Indicator (RII) is calculated for the resource groups. Subjective weighting
values for the resource groups are also proposed, based on survey results from the manufacturing industry sector and the expenditure
trends of the South African national government. The subjective weighting values are used to calculate overall Environmental
Performance Resource Impact Indicators (EPRIIs) when comparing life cycle systems with each other. The proposed approaches
are evaluated with a known wool case study.
Results and Discussion The calculation of a RJI ensures that all natural resources that are important from a South African perspective are duly considered
in a LCIA. The results of a LCIA are consequently not reliant on a detailed Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and the number of midpoint
categories that converge on a single resource group. The case study establishes the importance of region-specificity, for
LCIs and LCIAs.
Conclusions The proposed LCIA procedure demonstrates reasonable ease of communication of LCIA results. It further allows for the inclusion
of additional midpoint categories and is adaptable for specific regions.
Recommendations and Outlook The acceptance of the LCIA procedure must be evaluated for different industry and government sectors. Also, the adequate incorporation
of Environmental Performance Resource Impact Indicators (EPRIIs) into decision-making for Life Cycle Management purposes must
be researched further. Specifically, the application of the procedures for supply chain management will be investigated. 相似文献
3.
Mireille Rack Sonia Valdivia Guido Sonnemann 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2013,18(7):1413-1420
Purpose
The paper provides a late report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative workshop “Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)—where we are, trends, and next steps;” it embeds this report into recent development with regard to the envisaged development of global guidance on environmental life cycle impact assessment indicators and related methodologies.Methods
The document is the output of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative’s workshop on “Life Cycle Impact Assessment—where we are, trends, and next steps.” The presentations and discussions held during the workshop reviewed the first two phases of the Life Cycle Initiative and provided an overview of current LCIA activities being conducted by the Initiative, governments and academia, as well as corporate approaches. The outcomes of the workshop are reflected in light of the implementation of the strategy for Phase 3 of the Life Cycle Initiative.Results
The range of views provided during the workshop indicated different user needs, with regards to, amongst other things, the required complexity of the LCIA methodology, associated costs, and the selection of LCIA categories depending on environmental priorities. The workshop’s results signified a number of potential focus areas for Phase 3 of the Initiative, including capacity building efforts concerning LCIA in developing countries and emerging economies, the preparation of training materials on LCIA, the production of global guidance on LCIA, and the potential development of a broader sustainability indicators framework.Conclusions
These suggestions have been taken into account in the strategy for Phase 3 of the Life Cycle Initiative in two flagship projects, one on global capability development on life cycle approaches and the other on global guidance on environmental life cycle impact assessment indicators. In the context of the latter project, first activities are being organized and planned. Moreover, UNEP has included the recommendations in its Rio + 20 Voluntary Commitments: UNEP and SETAC through the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative commit to facilitate improved access to good quality life cycle data and databases as well as expanded use of key environmental indicators that allows the measurement and monitoring of progress towards the environmental sustainability of selected product chains. 相似文献4.
Luis Bárzaga-Castellanos Ronald Neufert Bernd Markert 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2001,6(5):285-292
Under consideration of the overall Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI) results generated in the first step of this study and
based on the February 1999 edition of ISO/DIS 14042 the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) for the introduction of various
emission control measures for freight traffic heavy duty vehicles in Germany was determined. For the examination of the several
mandatory elements 11 impact categories related to the freight traffic and the LCI results were focussed, the LCI results
were designed to these impact categories and with characterization factors of the 11 selected and recognized characterisation
models the categories indicator endpoints were quantified. The optional elements for normalization and weighting were added
to the analysis. Two reference values are used for normalizing the category indicator results. For the weighting step 8 recognized
evaluation methods were selected with the aim to aggregate the LCI results to an overall value. The results enable plausible
conclusions with regard to the ecological advantages and disadvantages of the use of each analysed emission control technology
for heavy duty diesel vehicles. As no perfectly clear ranking can be distinguished for evaluation of the generated results
and no correlation can be established to the economical effects of the corresponding measurements, it is necessary to complete
the currently existing recommendation from the ISO/DIS-Standards with further parameters.
Phase 1: Life Cycle Inventory Analysis. Int J LCA vn6 (4) 231–242(2001) Phase 3: Life Cycle Interpretation (DOI: http://dx.doi.oro/10.1065/
Ica2000.12.044.3) 相似文献
5.
Thomas Gloria Andrea Russell John Atherton Scott Baker Murray Cook 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2006,11(1):26-33
Goal, Scope and Background The Apeldoorn Workshop (April 15th, 2004, Apeldoorn, NL) brought together specialists in LCA and Risk Assessment to discuss
current practices and complications of the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) ecological toxicity (ecotox) methodologies
for metals. The consensus was that the LCIA methods currently available do not appropriately characterize impacts of metals
due to lack of fundamental metals chemistry in the models. A review of five methods available to perform ecotox impact assessment
for metals has been prepared to provide Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practitioners with a better understanding of the current
state of the science and potential biases related to metals. The intent is to provide awareness on issues related to ecotox
impact assessment.
Methods In this paper two case studies, one a copper based product (copper tube), the other a zinc-based product (gutter systems),
were selected and examined by applying freshwater ecological toxicity impact models – USES-LCA, Eco-indicator 99 (EI 99),
IMPACT 2002, EDIP 97, and CalTOX-ETP. Both studies are recent, comprehensive, cradle-to-gate, and peer-reviewed. The objective
is to review the LCIA results in the context of the practical concerns identified by the Apeldoorn Declaration, in particular
illustrating any inconsistencies such as chemical characterization coverage, species specificity, and relative contribution
to impact results.
Results and Discussion The results obtained from all five of the LCIA methods for the copper tube LCI pointed to the same substance as being the
most important – copper. This result was obtained despite major fundamental differences between the LCIA methods applied.
However, variations of results were found when examining the freshwater ecological toxicity potential of zinc gutter systems.
Procedural difficulties and inconsistencies were observed. In part this was due to basic differences in model nomenclature
and differences in coverage (IMPACT 2002+ and EDIP 97 contained characterization factors for aluminium that resulted in 90%
and 22% contribution to burden respectively, the other three methods did not). Differences were also observed relative to
the emissions source compartment. In the case of zinc, air emissions were found to be substantial for some ecotox models,
whereas, water emissions results were found to be of issue for others.
Conclusions This investigation illustrates the need to proceed with caution when applying LCIA ecotox methodologies to life cycle studies
that include metals. Until further improvements are made, the deficiencies should be clearly communicated as part of LCIA
reporting. Business or policy decisions should not without further discussion be based solely on the results of the currently
available methods for assessing ecotoxicity in LCIA.
Outlook The outlook to remedy deficiencies in the ecological toxicity methods is promising. Recently, the LCIA Toxic Impacts Task
Force of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative has formed a subgroup to address specific issues and guide the work towards
establishment of sound characterization factors for metals. Although some measure of precision of estimation of potential
impact has been observed, such as in the case of copper, accuracy is also a major concern and should be addressed. Further
investigation through controlled experimentation is needed, particularly LCIs composed of a variety of inorganics as well
as organics constituents. Support for this activity has come from the scientific community and industry as well. Broader aspects
of structure and nomenclature are being collectively addressed by the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. These efforts will
bring practical solutions to issues of naming conventions and LCI to LCIA flow assignments. 相似文献
6.
Llorenç Milà i Canals Christian Bauer Jochen Depestele Alain Dubreuil Ruth Freiermuth Knuchel Gérard Gaillard Ottar Michelsen Ruedi Müller-Wenk Bernt Rydgren 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2007,12(1):5-15
Background, Aim and Scope
Land use by agriculture, forestry, mining, house-building or industry leads to substantial impacts, particularly on biodiversity
and on soil quality as a supplier of life support functions. Unfortunately there is no widely accepted assessment method so
far for land use impacts. This paper presents an attempt, within the UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, to provide a framework
for the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) of land use.
Materials and Methods:
This framework builds from previous documents, particularly the SETAC book on LCIA (Lindeijer et al. 2002), developing essential
issues such as the reference for occupation impacts; the impact pathways to be included in the analysis; the units of measure
in the impact mechanism (land use interventions to impacts); the ways to deal with impacts in the future; and bio-geographical
differentiation.
Results:
The paper describes the selected impact pathways, linking the land use elementary flows (occupation; transformation) and parameters
(intensity) registered in the inventory (LCI) to the midpoint impact indicators and to the relevant damage categories (natural
environment and natural resources). An impact occurs when the land properties are modified (transformation) and also when
the current man-made properties are maintained (occupation).
Discussion:
The size of impact is the difference between the effect on land quality from the studied case of land use and a suitable reference
land use on the same area (dynamic reference situation). The impact depends not only on the type of land use (including coverage
and intensity) but is also heavily influenced by the bio-geographical conditions of the area. The time lag between the land
use intervention and the impact may be large; thus land use impacts should be calculated over a reasonable time period after
the actual land use finishes, at least until a new steady state in land quality is reached.
Conclusions:
Guidance is provided on the definition of the dynamic reference situation and on methods and time frame to assess the impacts
occurring after the actual land use. Including the occupation impacts acknowledges that humans are not the sole users of land.
Recommendations and Perspectives:
The main damages affected by land use that should be considered by any method to assess land use impacts in LCIA are: biodiversity
(existence value); biotic production potential (including soil fertility and use value of biodiversity); ecological soil quality
(including life support functions of soil other than biotic production potential). Bio-geographical differentiation is required
for land use impacts, because the same intervention may have different consequences depending on the sensitivity and inherent
land quality of the environment where it occurs. For the moment, an indication of how such task could be done and likely bio-geographical
parameters to be considered are suggested. The recommendation of indicators for the suggested impact categories is a matter
of future research. 相似文献
7.
Thomas Sonderegger Jo Dewulf Peter Fantke Danielle Maia de Souza Stephan Pfister Franziska Stoessel Francesca Verones Marisa Vieira Bo Weidema Stefanie Hellweg 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2017,22(12):1912-1927
Purpose
In this paper, we summarize the discussion and present the findings of an expert group effort under the umbrella of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative proposing natural resources as an Area of Protection (AoP) in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA).Methods
As a first step, natural resources have been defined for the LCA context with reference to the overall UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) framework. Second, existing LCIA methods have been reviewed and discussed. The reviewed methods have been evaluated according to the considered type of natural resources and their underlying principles followed (use-to-availability ratios, backup technology approaches, or thermodynamic accounting methods).Results and discussion
There is currently no single LCIA method available that addresses impacts for all natural resource categories, nor do existing methods and models addressing different natural resource categories do so in a consistent way across categories. Exceptions are exergy and solar energy-related methods, which cover the widest range of resource categories. However, these methods do not link exergy consumption to changes in availability or provisioning capacity of a specific natural resource (e.g., mineral, water, land etc.). So far, there is no agreement in the scientific community on the most relevant type of future resource indicators (depletion, increased energy use or cost due to resource extraction, etc.). To address this challenge, a framework based on the concept of stock/fund/flow resources is proposed to identify, across natural resource categories, whether depletion/dissipation (of stocks and funds) or competition (for flows) is the main relevant aspect.Conclusions
An LCIA method—or a set of methods—that consistently address all natural resource categories is needed in order to avoid burden shifting from the impact associated with one resource to the impact associated with another resource. This paper is an important basis for a step forward in the direction of consistently integrating the various natural resources as an Area of Protection into LCA.8.
Background, aim, and scope
Many studies evaluate the results of applying different life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods to the same life cycle inventory (LCI) data and demonstrate that the assessment results would be different with different LICA methods used. Although the importance of uncertainty is recognized, most studies focus on individual stages of LCA, such as LCI and normalization and weighting stages of LCIA. However, an important question has not been answered in previous studies: Which part of the LCA processes will lead to the primary uncertainty? The understanding of the uncertainty contributions of each of the LCA components will facilitate the improvement of the credibility of LCA.Methodology
A methodology is proposed to systematically analyze the uncertainties involved in the entire procedure of LCA. The Monte Carlo simulation is used to analyze the uncertainties associated with LCI, LCIA, and the normalization and weighting processes. Five LCIA methods are considered in this study, i.e., Eco-indicator 99, EDIP, EPS, IMPACT 2002+, and LIME. The uncertainty of the environmental performance for individual impact categories (e.g., global warming, ecotoxicity, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical smog, human health) is also calculated and compared. The LCA of municipal solid waste management strategies in Taiwan is used as a case study to illustrate the proposed methodology.Results
The primary uncertainty source in the case study is the LCI stage under a given LCIA method. In comparison with various LCIA methods, EDIP has the highest uncertainty and Eco-indicator 99 the lowest uncertainty. Setting aside the uncertainty caused by LCI, the weighting step has higher uncertainty than the normalization step when Eco-indicator 99 is used. Comparing the uncertainty of various impact categories, the lowest is global warming, followed by eutrophication. Ecotoxicity, human health, and photochemical smog have higher uncertainty.Discussion
In this case study of municipal waste management, it is confirmed that different LCIA methods would generate different assessment results. In other words, selection of LCIA methods is an important source of uncertainty. In this study, the impacts of human health, ecotoxicity, and photochemical smog can vary a lot when the uncertainties of LCI and LCIA procedures are considered. For the purpose of reducing the errors of impact estimation because of geographic differences, it is important to determine whether and which modifications of assessment of impact categories based on local conditions are necessary.Conclusions
This study develops a methodology of systematically evaluating the uncertainties involved in the entire LCA procedure to identify the contributions of different assessment stages to the overall uncertainty. Which modifications of the assessment of impact categories are needed can be determined based on the comparison of uncertainty of impact categories.Recommendations and perspectives
Such an assessment of the system uncertainty of LCA will facilitate the improvement of LCA. If the main source of uncertainty is the LCI stage, the researchers should focus on the data quality of the LCI data. If the primary source of uncertainty is the LCIA stage, direct application of LCIA to non-LCIA software developing nations should be avoided. 相似文献9.
Jane C. Bare Patrick Hofstetter David W. Pennington Helias A. Udo de Haes 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2000,5(6):319-326
On May 25–26, 2000 in Brighton (England), the third in a series of international workshops was held under the umbrella of
UNEP addressing issues in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). The workshop provided a forum for experts to discuss midpoint
vs. endpoint modeling. Midpoints are considered to be links in the cause-effect chain (environmental mechanism) of an impact
category, prior to the endpoints, at which characterization factors or indicators can be derived to reflect the relative importance
of emissions or extractions. Common examples of midpoint characterization factors include ozone depletion potentials, global
warming potentials, and photochemical ozone (smog) creation potentials. Recently, however, some methodologies have adopted
characterization factors at an endpoint level in the cause-effect chain for all categories of impact (e.g., human health impacts
in terms of disability adjusted life years for carcinogenicity, climate change, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone creation;
or impacts in terms of changes in biodiversity, etc.). The topics addressed at this workshop included the implications of
midpoint versus endpoint indicators with respect to uncertainty (parameter, model and scenario), transparency and the ability
to subsequently resolve trade-offs across impact categories using weighting techniques. The workshop closed with a consensus
that both midpoint and endpoint methodologies provide useful information to the decision maker, prompting the call for tools
that include both in a consistent framework. 相似文献
10.
11.
Life cycle assessment framework in agriculture on the farm level 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Guido Haas Frank Wetterich Uwe Geier 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2000,5(6):345-348
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method that can be used to assess the environmental impact of agriculture, but impact categories and the functional unit of classical LCA’s must be adapted to the specific agricultural production process. Serving as an example, the framework of a LCA of 18 grassland dairy farms covering three farming intensity levels and carried out in the Allgäu region in southern Germany is presented. By focussing on the chosen impact categories and the respective, suitable functional units, the specific needs and backgrounds of conducting an agricultural LCA are discussed in general. 相似文献
12.
《Journal of Industrial Ecology》2004,8(1-2):93-118
Numerous methodologies for the life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) step of life-cycle assessment (LCA) are currently in popular use. These methods, which are based on a single method or level of analysis, are limited to the environmental fates, impact categories, damage functions, and stressors included in the method or model. Because of this, it has been suggested within the LCA community that LCIA data from multiple methods and/or levels of analysis, that is, end-point and midpoint indicators, be used in LCA-based decision analysis to facilitate better or, at least more informed, decision making. In this (two-part) series of articles, we develop and present a series of LCA-based decision analysis models, based on multiattribute value theory (MAVT), which utilize data from multiple LCIA methods and/or levels of analysis. The key to accomplishing this is the recognition of what LCIA damage indicators represent with respect to decision analysis, namely, decision attributes and, in most cases, proxy attributes. The use of proxy attributes in a decision model, however, poses certain challenges, such as the assessment of decision-maker preferences for actual consequences that are only known imprecisely because of inherent limits of both LCA and scientific knowledge. In this article (part I), we provide a brief overview of MAVT and examine some of the decision-theoretic issues and implications of current LCIA methods. We illustrate the application of MAVT to develop a decision model utilizing damage indicators from a single LCIA methodology; and, we identify the decision-theoretic issues that arise when attempting to combine LCIA indicators from multiple methods and/or levels of analysis in a single decision model. Finally, we introduce the use in our methodology of constructed attributes to combine related end-point damage indicators into single decision attributes and the concept and evaluation of proxy attributes. 相似文献
13.
Bo P. Weidema 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2006,11(1):89-96
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2006.04.016Goal, Scope and Background
Although both cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) have developed from engineering practice, and have the same objective of a holistic ex-ante assessment of human activities, the techniques have until recently developed in relative isolation. This has resulted in a situation where much can be gained from an integration of the strong aspects of each technique. Such integration is now being prompted by the more widespread use of both CBA and LCA on the global arena, where also the issues of social responsibility are now in focus. Increasing availability of data on both biophysical and social impacts now allow the development of a truly holistic, quantitative environmental assessment technique that integrates economic, biophysical and social impact pathways in a structured and consistent way. The concept of impact pathways, linking biophysical and economic inventory results via midpoint impact indicators to final damage indicators, is well described in the LCA and CBA literature. Therefore, this paper places specific emphasis on how social aspects can be integrated in LCA.Methods
and Results. With a starting point in the conceptual structure and approach of life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), as developed by Helias Udo de Haes and the SETAC/UNEP Life Cycle Initiative, the paper identifies six damage categories under the general heading of human life and well-being. The paper proposes a comprehensive set of indicators, with units of measurement, and a first estimate of global normalisation values, based on incidence or prevalence data from statistical sources and severity scores from health state analogues. Examples are provided of impact chains linking social inventory indicators to impacts on both human well-being and productivity.Recommendation and Perspective
It is suggested that human well-being measured in QALYs (Quality Adjusted Life Years) may provide an attractive single-score alternative to direct monetarisation.14.
Sora Yi Kiyo H. Kurisu Keisuke Hanaki 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2011,16(7):652-668
Purpose
Few studies have examined differing interpretations of life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results between midpoints and endpoints for the same systems. This paper focuses on the LCIA of municipal solid waste (MSW) systems by taking both the midpoint and endpoint approaches and uses LIME (Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method based on Endpoint Modeling, version 2006). With respect to global and site-dependent factors, environmental impact categories were divided into global, regional, and local scales. Results are shown as net emissions consisting of system emissions and avoided emissions. 相似文献15.
Duane A. Tolle David P. Evers Bruce W. Vigon John J. Sheehan 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2000,5(6):374-384
This study provides a benchmark of the life cycle environmental impact characteristics associated with a typical soybased
ink used for sheetfed lithographic printing. The scope ineluded a streamlined Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and Impact Assessment
(LCIA). Materials, processes, and life cycle stages that are the same between different printing inks, or were less than one
percent by mass of the printing system input materials, were excluded. The LCIA included identification of specific processes
in the life cycle of soy-based ink printing that make the greatest contribution to the overall environmental hazard potential
in 13 impact categories for the baseline printing system selected. The LCIA approach included both regional scaling for areas
that differ in sensitivity to certain impact indicators and normalization against a reference value. Reduction in the use
of tall oil rosin and switching from conventional to low or no-till farming appear to be promising opportunities for reducing
the environmental hazard potential. 相似文献
16.
Purpose
Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been increasingly implemented in analyzing the environmental performance of buildings and construction projects. To assess the life cycle environmental performance, decision-makers may adopt the two life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) approaches, namely the midpoint and endpoint models. Any imprudent usage of the two approaches may affect the assessment results and thus lead to misleading findings. ReCiPe, a well-known work, includes a package of LCIA methods to provide assessments on both midpoint and endpoint levels. This study compares different potential LCIA results using the midpoint and endpoint approaches of ReCiPe based on the assessment of a commercial building in Hong Kong.Methods
This paper examines 23 materials accounting for over 99 % of the environmental impacts of all the materials consumed in commercial buildings in Hong Kong. The midpoint and endpoint results are compared at the normalization level. A commercial building in Hong Kong is further studied to provide insights as a real case study. The ranking of impact categories and the contributions from various construction materials are examined for the commercial building. Influence due to the weighting factors is discussed.Results and discussion
Normalization results of individual impact categories of the midpoint and endpoint approaches are consistent for the selected construction materials. The difference in the two approaches can be detected when several impact categories are considered. The ranking of materials is slightly different under the two approaches. The ranking of impact categories demonstrates completely different features. In the case study of a commercial building in Hong Kong, the contributions from subprocesses are different at the midpoint and endpoint. The weighting factors can determine not only the contributions of the damage categories to the total environment, but also the value of a single score.Conclusions
In this research, the midpoint and endpoint approaches are compared using ReCiPe. Information is whittled down from the inventories to a single score. Midpoint results are comprehensive while endpoint results are concise. The endpoint approach which provides additional information of damage should be used as a supplementary to the midpoint model. When endpoint results are asked for, a LCIA method like ReCiPe that provides both the midpoint and endpoint analysis is recommended. This study can assist LCA designers to interpret the midpoint and endpoint results, in particular, for the assessment of commercial buildings in Hong Kong. 相似文献17.
Goal and Background LCIA procedures that have been used in the South Africa manufacturing industry include the CML, Ecopoints, EPS and Eco-indicators
95 and 99 procedures. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the applicability of these European LCIA procedures
within the South African context, using a case study.
Methods The five European methods have been evaluated based on the applicability of the respective classification, characterisation,
normalization and weighting approaches for the South African situation. Impact categories have been grouped into air, water,
land and mined abiotic resources for evaluation purposes. The evaluation and comparison is further based on a cradle-to-gate
Screening Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) case study of the production of dyed two-fold wool yarn in South Africa.
Results and Discussion Where land is considered as a separate category (CML, Eco-indicator 99 and EPS), the case study highlights this inventory
constituent as the most important. Similarly, water usage is shown as the second most important in one LCIA procedure (EPS)
where it is taken into account. However, the impact assessment modelling for these categories may not be applicable for the
variance in South African ecosystems. If land and water is excluded from the interpretation, air emissions, coal usage, ash
disposal, pesticides and chrome emissions to water are the important constituents in the South African wool industry.
Conclusions In most cases impact categories and procedures defined in the LCIA methods for air pollution, human health and mined abiotic
resources are applicable in South Africa. However, the relevance of the methods is reduced where categories are used that
impact ecosystem quality, as ecosystems differ significantly between South Africa and the European continent. The methods
are especially limited with respect to water and land resources. Normalisation and weighting procedures may also be difficult
to adapt to South African conditions, due to the lack of background information and social, cultural and political differences.
Recommendations and Outlook Further research is underway to develop a framework for a South African LCIA procedure, which will be adapted from the available
European procedures. The wool SLCA must be revisited to evaluate and compare the proposed framework with the existing LCIA
procedures. 相似文献
18.
Manfred Marsmann Sven Olaf Ryding Helias Udo de Haes James Fava Willie Owens Kevin Brady Konrad Saur Rita Schenck 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》1999,4(2):65-65
Life Cycle Impact Assessment describes indicators and does not predict actual impacts. The value of an LCA is its comprehensive review of all stages of a product’s life cycle and its synoptic view of all relevant environmental issues. The current version of the 14042 draft describes the uniqueness of Life Cycle Impact Assessment approach which is distinct from other assessment techniques. The wording was designed to help users of the standard understand how and why LCIA is distinct from other assessment methods. In closing, we would like to highlight our opinion that the present document on the level of a DIS is sound, stable and practical within the ISO 14040 series of standards. We do not agree withHertwich & Pease that the present document prevents the use of LCIA. It makes a choice regarding the exclusion of weighting across categories in order to prevent misuse in deriving inappropriate claims. And for characterisation it has achieved a well founded synthesis. In addition, we strongly believe that this standard will stimulate the international scientific discussion of LCA and will substantially contribute to enhanced and more valuable applications of LCA in the future. 相似文献
19.
Paula Quinteiro Ana Cláudia Dias Bradley G. Ridoutt Luís Arroja 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2014,19(6):1200-1213
Purpose
Topsoil erosion due to land use has been characterised as one of the most damaging problems from the perspective of soil-resource depletion, changes in soil fertility and net soil productivity and damage to aquatic ecosystems. On-site environmental damage to topsoil by water erosion has begun to be considered in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) within the context of ecosystem services. However, a framework for modelling soil erosion by water, addressing off-site deposition in surface water systems, to support life cycle inventory (LCI) modelling is still lacking. The objectives of this paper are to conduct an overview of existing methods addressing topsoil erosion issues in LCA and to develop a framework to support LCI modelling of topsoil erosion, transport and deposition in surface water systems, to establish a procedure for assessing the environmental damage from topsoil erosion on water ecosystems.Methods
The main features of existing methods addressing topsoil erosion issues in LCA are analysed, particularly with respect to LCI and Life Cycle Impact Assessment methodologies. An overview of nine topsoil erosion models is performed to estimate topsoil erosion by water, soil particle transport through the landscape and its in-stream deposition. The type of erosion evaluated by each of the models, as well as their applicable spatial scale, level of input data requirements and operational complexity issues are considered. The WATEM-SEDEM model is proposed as the most adequate to perform LCI erosion analysis.Results and discussion
The definition of land use type, the area of assessment, spatial location and system boundaries are the main elements discussed. Depending on the defined system boundaries and the inherent routing network of the detached soil particles to the water systems, the solving of the multifunctionality of the system assumes particular relevance. Simplifications related to the spatial variability of the input data parameters are recommended. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is recommended to evaluate the effects of the transport capacity coefficient in the LCI results.Conclusions
The published LCA methods focus only on the changes of soil properties due to topsoil erosion by water. This study provides a simplified framework to perform an LCI of topsoil erosion by considering off-site deposition of eroded particles in surface water systems. The widespread use of the proposed framework would require the development of LCI erosion databases. The issues of topsoil erosion impact on aquatic biodiversity, including the development of characterisation factors, are now the subject of on-going research. 相似文献20.
Peter Mizsey Luis Delgado Tamas Benko 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2009,14(7):665-675