共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
Andreas Kicherer Stefan Schaltegger Heinrich Tschochohei Beatriz Ferreira Pozo 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2007,12(7):537-543
Goal, Scope and Background The eco-efficiency analysis and portfolio is a powerful decision support tool for various strategic and marketing issues.
Since its original academic development, the approach has been refined during the last decade and applied to a multitude of
projects. BASF, as possibly the most prominent company using and developing this tool, has applied the eco-efficiency approach
to more than 300 projects in the last 7 years. One of the greatest difficulties is to cover both dimensions of eco-efficiency
(costs or value added and environmental impact) in a comparable manner. This is particularly a challenge for the eco-efficiency
analyses of products.
Methods In this publication, an important approach and field of application dealing with product decisions based on the combination
of Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is described in detail. Special emphasis is put on the quantitative
assessment of the relation of costs and environmental impacts. In conventional LCA an assessment of environmental impact categories
is often made by normalization with inhabitant equivalents. This is necessary to be able to compare the different environmental
impact categories, because of each different unit. For the proposed eco-efficiency analysis, the costs of products or processes
are also normalized with adapted gross domestic product figures.
Results and Discussion The ratio between normalized environmental impact categories and normalized costs (RE,C) is used for the graphical presentation of the results in an eco-efficiency portfolio. For the interpretation of the results
of an eco-efficiency analysis, it is important to distinguish ratios RE,C which are higher than one from ratios lower than one. In the first case, the environmental impact is higher than the cost
impact, while the inverse is true in the second case. This is very important for defining which kind of improvement is needed
and defining strategic management decisions. The paper shows a statistical evaluation of the RE,C factor based on the results of different eco-efficiency analyses made by BASF. For industries based on large material flows
(e.g. chemicals, steel, metals, agriculture), the RE,C factor is typically higher than one.
Conclusions and Recommendations This contribution shows that LCC and LCA may be combined in a way that they mirror the concept of eco-efficiency. LCAs that
do not consider LCC may be of very limited use for company management. For that very reason, corporations should install a
data management system that ensures equal information on both sides of the eco-efficiency coin. 相似文献
2.
《Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience》2018,12(6):1277-1286
European pig production continues to encounter economic and environmental challenges. To address these issues, methods have been developed to assess performances of pig production systems. Recent studies indicate that considering variability in performances among pigs improves the accuracy and reliability of results compared with modelling an average animal. Our objective was to develop a pig fattening unit model able to (i) simulate individual pig performances, including their variability in interaction with farmers’ practices and management, and (ii) assess their effects on technical, economic and environmental performances. Farmer practices included in the model were chosen from a typology generated from on-farm surveys focused on batch management, pig allocation to pens, pig feeding practices, practices of shipping to the slaughterhouse, and management of the remaining pigs. Pigs are represented using an individual-based model adapted from the InraPorc® model. To illustrate the model’s abilities, four scenarios were simulated that combine two feed rationing plans (ad libitum, restricted to 2.5 kg/day) and two feed sequence plans (two-phase, 10-phase). Analysis of variance was performed on the simulated technical, economic and environmental indicators (calculated via Life Cycle Assessment). The feed rationing plan and feed sequence plan significantly affected all indicators except for the premium per pig, for which the feed sequence plan did not have a significant effect. The ‘restricted 10-phase’ scenario maximised gross margin of the fattening unit (14.2 €/pig) and minimised environmental impacts per kg of pig produced. In contrast, the ‘ad libitum two-phase’ scenario generated the lowest margin (8.20 €/pig) and the highest environmental impacts. The model appears to be a promising tool to assess effects of farmers’ practices, pig characteristics and farm infrastructure on technical, economic and environmental performances of the fattening unit, and to investigate the potential of improvement. However, further work is needed, based on virtual experiments, in order to evaluate the effects of a larger diversity of practices. 相似文献
3.
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
4.
Karin Andersson 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2000,5(4):239-248
This article is a summary of my dissertation in which LCA was applied to food products and production systems. The overall
objectives were: (1) to learn more about the feasibility and limitations of LCAs of systems for the production and consumption
of foods (food systems); and (2) to generate information on the environmental impact of such systems. Case studies of tomato
ketchup and white bread were carried out. The main conclusion is that LCA is very valuable for incorporating environmental
aspects in the development of more sustainable food systems. One of the major problems encountered was the great scarcity
of environmental data. It was found that there is a need for simplified methods that can be used as a compass to show the
direction towards sustainability. Accordingly, the feasibility of combinng the concept of sustainabiliry principles and LCA
for product development was examined and discussed. This combination was found to yield a simplified method well suited for
screening analysis and product development. 相似文献
5.
A novel approach to the problem of geographic allocation of environmental impact in Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Analysis 总被引:2,自引:0,他引:2
Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Analysis, in spite of their invaluable contribution to the investigation of the environmental performance of human-dominated processes, still fall short of properly addressing the issue of the geographic distribution of the potential environmental impacts, which often has wide-reaching environmental as well as political implications. An innovative allocation method based on matrix algebra is introduced here, in order to allow to split the calculated environmental impact indicators into fractions thereof which are geographically attributed to the different world regions. This is done on the basis of: (i) where the analyzed process takes place and (ii) where the directly and indirectly required fossil and nuclear fuels are sourced from (including those for electricity production). The method has been successfully tested on primary aluminium production, as a first case study. 相似文献
6.
Günter Fleischer Wulf-Peter Schmidt 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》1997,2(1):20-24
A screening and simplified LCA method, is essential necessary to include environmental aspects in the stage of Research and
Development (R&D) of products and processes. An interactive, iterative and integrative eco-design tool using the top-down
approach in the identification of advanced materials is being developed in a joint project performed by six research institutes.
The principles and methods as well as some examples for the validation of the screening LCA as well as its application in
eco-design in case studies are presented in this article. 相似文献
7.
Pascale Schwab Castella Isabelle Blanc Marcel Gomez Ferrer Bastien Ecabert Martyn Wakeman Jan-Anders Manson Daniel Emery Seong-Ho Han Jinglan Hong Olivier Jolliet 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2009,14(5):429-442
Background, aim, and scope A coupled Life Cycle Costing and life cycle assessment has been performed for car-bodies of the Korean Tilting Train eXpress
(TTX) project using European and Korean databases, with the objective of assessing environmental and cost performance to aid
materials and process selection. More specifically, the potential of polymer composite car-body structures for the Korean
Tilting Train eXpress (TTX) has been investigated.
Materials and methods This assessment includes the cost of both carriage manufacturing and use phases, coupled with the life cycle environmental
impacts of all stages from raw material production, through carriage manufacture and use, to end-of-life scenarios. Metallic
carriages were compared with two composite options: hybrid steel-composite and full-composite carriages. The total planned
production for this regional Korean train was 440 cars, with an annual production volume of 80 cars.
Results and discussion The coupled analyses were used to generate plots of cost versus energy consumption and environmental impacts. The results
show that the raw material and manufacturing phase costs are approximately half of the total life cycle costs, whilst their
environmental impact is relatively insignificant (3–8%). The use phase of the car-body has the largest environmental impact
for all scenarios, with near negligible contributions from the other phases. Since steel rail carriages weigh more (27–51%),
the use phase cost is correspondingly higher, resulting in both the greatest environmental impact and the highest life cycle
cost. Compared to the steel scenario, the hybrid composite variant has a lower life cycle cost (16%) and a lower environmental
impact (26%). Though the full composite rail carriage may have the highest manufacturing cost, it results in the lowest total
life cycle costs and lowest environmental impacts.
Conclusions and recommendations This coupled cost and life cycle assessment showed that the full composite variant was the optimum solution. This case study
showed that coupling of technical cost models with life cycle assessment offers an efficient route to accurately evaluate
economic and environmental performance in a consistent way. 相似文献
8.
Karen G. Shapiro 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2001,6(2):121-123
The goal of LCA is to identify the environmental impacts resulting from a product, process, or activity. While LCA is useful
for evaluating environmental attributes, it stops short of providing information that business managers routinely utilize
for decision-making — i.e., dollars. Thus, decisions regarding the processes used for manufacturing products and the materials
comprising those products can be enhanced by weaving cost and environmental information into the decision-making process.
Various approaches have been used during the past decade to supplement environmental information with cost information. One
of these tools is environmental accounting, the identification, analysis, reporting, and use of environmental information,
including environmental cost data. Environmental cost accounting provides information necessary for identifying the true costs
of products and processes and for evaluating opportunities to minimize those costs. As demonstrated through two case studies,
many companies are incorporating environmental cost information into their accounting systems to prioritize investments in
new technologies and products. 相似文献
9.
Julien Matheys Wout Van Autenboer Jean-Marc Timmermans Joeri Van Mierlo Peter Van den Bossche Gaston Maggetto 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2007,12(3):191-196
Goal, Scope and Background This paper describes the influence of the choice of the functional unit on the results of an environmental assessment of different
battery technologies for electric and hybrid vehicles. Battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles are considered as being
environmentally friendly. However, the batteries they use are sometimes said to be environmentally unfriendly. At the current
state of technology different battery types can be envisaged: lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion
and sodium-nickel chloride. The environmental impacts described in this paper are based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach.
One of the first critical stages of LCA is the definition of an appropriate and specific functional unit for electric and
hybrid vehicle application. Most of the known LCA studies concerning batteries were performed while choosing different functional
units, although this choice can influence the final results. An adequate functional unit, allowing to compare battery technologies
in their real life vehicle application should be chosen.
The results of the LCA are important as they will be used as a decision support for the end-of-life vehicles directive 2000/53/EC
(Official Journal of the European Communities L269/24 2000). As a consequence, a thorough analysis is required to define an
appropriate functional unit for the assessment of batteries for electric vehicles. This paper discusses this issue and will
mainly focus on traction batteries for electric vehicles.
Main Features An overview of the different parameters to be considered in the definition of a functional unit to compare battery technologies
for battery electric vehicle application is described and discussed. An LCA study is performed for the most relevant potential
functional units. SimaPro 6 is used as a software tool and Eco-indicator 99 as an impact assessment method. The influence
of the different selected functional units on the results (Eco-indicator Points) is discussed. The environmental impact of
the different electric vehicle battery technologies is described. A sensitivity analysis illustrates the robustness of the
obtained results.
Results and Discussion Five main parameters are considered in each investigated functional unit: an equal depth of discharge is assumed, a relative
number of batteries required during the life of the vehicle is calculated, the energy losses in the battery and the additional
vehicle consumption due to the battery mass is included and the same lifetime distance target is taken into account. On the
basis of the energy content, battery mass, number of cycles and vehicle autonomy three suitable functional units are defined:
‘battery packs with an identical mass’, ‘battery packs with an identical energy content’ and ‘battery packs with an identical
one-charge range’.
The results show that the differences in the results between these three functional units are small and imply less variation
on the results than the other uncertainties inherent to LCA studies. On the other hand, the results obtained using other,
less adequate, functional units can be quite different.
Conclusions When performing an LCA study, it’s important to choose an appropriate functional unit. Most of the time, this choice is unambiguous.
However, sometimes this choice is more complicated when different correlated parameters have to be considered, as it is the
case for traction batteries. When using a realistic functional unit, the result is not influenced significantly by the choice
of one out of the three suitable functional units.
Additionally, the life cycle assessment allowed concluding that three electric vehicle battery technologies have a comparable
environmental impact: lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride. Lithium-ion and sodium-nickel chloride have lower
environmental impacts than the three previously cited technologies when used in a typical battery electric vehicle application.
Recommendations and Perspectives The article describes the need to consider all relevant parameters for the choice of a functional unit for an electric vehicle
battery, as this choice can influence the conclusions. A more standardised method to define the functional unit could avoid
these differences and could make it possible to compare the results of different traction battery LCA studies more easily. 相似文献
10.
Fate, exposure and effect measures provide a basis for the calculation of characterisation factors in Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA). Such characterisation factors provide insights into the relative concern of chemical emissions within and across life
cycle inventories, in the context of toxicological stress to humans and to ecosystems. A brief overview is presented in this
paper of the available options for toxicological characterisation and of associated issues that will need to be addressed
in future consensus-building initiatives. An introduction is provided to issues such as: (1) the benefit of measures calculated
at midpoints versus at endpoints in the toxicological cause-effect chains (sometimes termed environmental mechanisms); (2)
the need to use multimedia models with spatial resolution; (3) the political consequences of accounting for variations in
population density; (4) uncertainties in the toxicological potency measures; and (5) the different options for the toxicological
endpoint measure(s). These issues are addressed under the headings of Fate and Exposure, Human Health and (aquatic) Ecosystem
Health. 相似文献
11.
Bente Solberg-Johansen Roland Clift Andrew Jeapes 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》1997,2(1):16-19
One of the main shortcomings of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) when applied to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, is that there is currently
no recognised procedure to deal with radionuclide emissions in the Impact Assessment stage. A framework which considers both
human and environmental impacts is required and a methodology which is compatible with the other impact assessment approaches
in LCA must be developed. It is important that the discussion is not only restricted to concepts, but that a working methodology
is developed which can be readily applied by LCA practitioners. A provisional method is available for assessing radiological
impacts on human health, but no consideration has been given to potential effects on the environment. A methodology is proposed
in this paper which assesses irradiation of the environment using Environmental Increments (EI) as the quality standard. This
approach is based on the same principles as for the Ecotoxicity classification group, and it represents a working methodology
which can be continuously improved as knowledge in the area increases. 相似文献
12.
Yasuhumi Mori Gjalt Huppes Helias A. Udo de Haes Suehiro Otoma 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2000,5(6):327-334
To date, numerous simplified Life Cycle Assessment methods and techniques have been developed to reduce complexities associated
with practical application. However, these methods often identify critical elements according to subjective considerations.
In this paper, we develop and apply a new type of Life Cycle Inventory method — Component Manufacturing Analysis (CMA) — that
is easy to implement and less arbitrary. Application of CMA requires identification of all product components and their associated
weights, which are then entered into a factory-type database. Because the factory database has a rigorous yet generic structure
and because calculation is done automatically, the application of CMA tends to be less arbitrary and more complete than other
simplified methods. Results of a case study on beverage vending machines show that the manufacturing stage is a significant
phase in the whole life-cycle inventory of a product. We conclude that CMA shows promise for further development and future
application. 相似文献
13.
The application of the methodology Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is time-consuming and expensive. A definite interpretation,
furthermore, is not always derivable from the determined results. The reason for the leeway of interpretation is frequently
due to the imprecision and uncertainty of the ingoing data. An improved clearance of interpretation is to be expected by an
ecological evaluation of methodology with the support of fuzzy-sets. The influence of uncertainties of ingoing data on evaluation
results becomes transparent through a representation as fuzzy-sets. Thus, the interpretation of an uncertainty of assessment
results is reduced in comparison to usual procedures for environmental LCA thus far. Time and cost saving is to be expected
from the fact that the extensive quantification of many energy and mass flows is replaced by a fuzzy-set supported iteration
loop, with which only the exact quantification of a few important flows is necessary. 相似文献
14.
This paper explores the use of LCA as a tool for process environmental management, thereby moving the focus from product to
process oriented analysis. The emphasis is on Improvement Assessment in which the “hot spots” in the system are targeted for
maximum environmental improvements. In this context, it is useful to use multiobjective optimisation which renders Valuation
unnecessary.
The approach is illustrated by the case study of the system processing boron ores to make five different products. The results
of Inventory Analysis and Impact Assessment are presented and discussed. In Improvement Assessment, a number of improvement
options are identified and evaluated, using system optimisation. It is shown that the site environmental performance can be
improved over current operation by an average of 20% over the whole life cycle. Thus the study demonstrates that the optimisation
approach to environmental process management may assist in identifying optimal ways to operate a process or plant from “cradle
to grave”. This may help the process industries not only to comply with legislation but also provide a framework for taking
a more proactive approach to environmental management leading to more sustainable industrial operations and practices. 相似文献
15.
Marieke Gorrée Jeroen B. Guinée Gjalt Huppes Lauran van Oers 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》2002,7(3):158-166
Linoleum is a floor covering consisting mainly of linseed oil, other vegetable oils, wood flour and limestone on a carrier
of jute. Forbo-Krommenie B.V. commissioned the Centre of Environmental Science (CML) to carry out an Environmental Life Cycle
Assessment for linoleum floors. The goal of this study was to assess the environmental performance of linoleum floors, indicating
possible options for improvement, and assessing the sensitivity of the results to methodological choices. The functional unit
was defined as: 2000 m2 linoleum produced in 1998, used in an office or public building over a period of 20 years. The method followed in this study
is based on a nearly final draft version of the LCA guide published by CML in corporation with many others, which is an update
of the guide on LCA of 1992.
From the contribution analysis, the main contributing processes became clear. In addition, the sensitivity analysis by scenarios
showed that the type of maintenance during use and the pigments used can have a large influence on the results. Major data
gaps of the study were capital goods and unknown chemicals. Sensitivity analysis also showed that these gaps can lead to an
underestimation. Based on this study, some options to improve the environmental performance of linoleum were formulated and
advice for further LCA studies on linoleum was given. 相似文献
16.
This paper presents a methodology that helps managers evaluate how to assess the impact of postponement on supply chain performance considering logistics and ecological criteria. We consider a green supply chain design that considers CO2 transport emissions under different postponement strategy scenarios using a simulation tool. The paper focuses on a relevant extension of postponement theory by including green considerations into the evaluation of postponement strategies in green supply chain design. Moreover, it provides some insight on how to measure and evaluate the impact of postponement regarding supply chain transport performance, considering different transport mode (container ocean ship and truck) using the European Platform on Life-Cycle Assessment (EPLCA) of ELCD – European Life-Cycle Database. The study has demonstrated that logistics and packing postponement strategies can improve the performance of logistics (total inventory and order lead-time) and, at the same time contribute to reducing the environmental impact of CO2 emissions from transportation process. 相似文献
17.
Thiel Christian Seppelt Ralf Müller-Pietralla Wolfgang Richter Otto 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》1999,4(3):151-160
LCA is a system-wide assessment, and the LCIA phase is confronted with the difficulties of local and regional effects in a
number of impact categories. We integrate three different environmental techniques to demonstrate how these effects can be
addressed in an environmental assessment. The techniques are life cycle inventory, environmental fate models, and an ecological
impact assessment using fuzzy expert systems.
Results of the LCI are mass and energy flows. In the environmental fate modelling step these mass flows are transformed into
concentration and immission values by dispersion-reaction models. A generalised fuzzy expert system for the environmental
mechanisms compares calculated exposure with site specific buffering capacities and formulates a generalised dose-response
relationship. This generalised fuzzy expert system is used as a template for the assessment of local and regional environmental
impacts. An application of this integrated approach is shown for a practical problem: production of magnesium car components.
The environmental fate of nitrogen oxides which are released due to the major combustion source within that production system
is simulated. Fuzzy expert models for crop damage, soil acidification and eutrophication determine the possible environmental
impact of the immited nitrogen oxides.
The important methodological extension of this integrated approach is a regionalised impact assessment depending on the spatial
distribution of environmental characteristics. 相似文献
18.
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
19.
20.
Per-Anders Hansson Berit Mattsson 《The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment》1999,4(4):202-206
The shortage of data for emissions from agricultural tractors contributes to LCA results on environmental load from modern
crop production possibly having high error levels and high uncertainties.
The first part of this work describes measurements and calculations made in order to obtain operation-specific agricultural
emission data. Calculations are based on emission data measured on a standard 70 kW tractor of a widely available make. In
the second part, results from an LCI on wheat production based on traditionally used emission data are calculated and compared
with results obtained when using the emission data for specific working operations derived in part one.
One conclusion of the study is that the emission values, when related to the energy in the used fuel, show very large variations
between different driving operations. Another conclusion is that the use of the new data results in a marked reduction of
the total air emissions produced in the wheat production chain, especially for CO and HC, but also for NOx and SO2. 相似文献