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Document Sample
Environmental Life Cycle
Assessment
Firoz Jameel, Jesse Daystar and Richard A. Venditti*
Department of Wood and Paper Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8005
*Corresponding author:
Richard_Venditti@ncsu.edu, (919) 515-6185
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 1
Introduction
Learning Objectives of this section:
a) Be able to define a LCA
b) To understand an LCA’s importance
c) To identify important aspects of an LCA
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 2
Sustainability?
• How do we supply societies needs without harming the environment or
future generations’ ability to meet their needs?
• We have many options to meet our demands.
• How to choose the “best” option?
• Life cycle assessment helps to inform our choices.
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
What is a Life Cycle Assessment ?
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool to assess the potential
environmental impacts of products, systems, or services at all stages
in their life cycle [ISO 14001:2004].
Types of LCA
•Cradle to Gate: raw materials to finished good (no use or end
life considerations)
•Cradle to Grave: Considers everything from harvesting
materials to the disposal of the finished goods
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Example LCA Process
Recycled Materials
Energy Energy
Energy Energy Energy
Raw
Production Transportation Use Disposal
Materials
Recycle
Waste Waste Waste
Waste
Waste
Emissions to Emissions to
air and water Emissions to Emissions to
air and water air and water air and water
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 5
Why is an LCA Important?
• Helps ensure compliance with government regulations
• Helps decrease the environmental impact of a given product
- Identifies ways to improve sustainability
- Identifies ways to “green” all aspects of product’s life
• Can reshape company strategy
• Can help marketing
- Can reshape company image
- Develop product advantage of competition
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 6
Important Aspects of Life Cycle
Assessment
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Goal and Scope Definition
Learning Objectives of this section:
a) To understand how to properly define the
goals of an LCA
b) To understand how to establish the
boundaries of an LCA
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 8
Defining Goals
• Should state the intent of the study
– Intended application
– Intended use
– Intended audience
• Should also include reason for the study
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Defining Scope
• Define functional unit of product
• Help establish system boundaries for the LCA
• Determine data collection methods
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Goal and Scope Definition: Your Turn
Exercise: Define the goal and scope of an LCA designed
to study the life cycle of a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Important Aspects of Life Cycle
Assessment
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 12
Inventory Analysis
Learning Objectives of this section:
a) To understand what needs to be included
in an inventory analysis
b) To understand the steps and processes
included in an inventory analysis
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 13
Inventory Analysis: What Needs to be
Included?
• All relevant stages of the life of a product
– Raw Materials/Energy Needs
– Manufacturing
– Transportation, Storage & Distribution
– Use, reuse, and maintenance
– Recycle & Waste Management
Recycled Materials
Energy Energy
Energy Energy Energy
Raw
Production Transportation Use Disposal
Materials
Recycle
W W W
W W a a a
a a
Emissions tosair s Emissions tosair
s s Emissions to air
and water t t and water t Emissions to air
t t e and water
e e and water
e e
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis: Setup
• In an LCA, it is necessary to standardize all units of measure
• For measuring energy use
– Use mega joules (MJ) to measure potential energy from non-renewable
sources
– Use kilowatt hours (kW-h) to measure electrical energy
• For measuring waste materials and emissions
– Use tons to measure airborne emissions and solid waste
– Use gallons or liters to measure waterborne emissions
• Create a standard basis for comparison
– Example: per product piece, or per kg of product
• Establish rigid boundaries for the Inventory Analysis
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis:
Raw Materials & Energy Needs
• Two types of Raw Materials
– Primary- first use material
– Secondary- second use material (recycled)
• Analyze energy requirements
– Energy required to harvest the raw materials
– Energy required to convert the raw materials to the finished product
• Look at materials associated with maintaining the raw materials
• Define and quantify emissions and wastes associated with the production of
the raw materials
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis:
Manufacturing
• Manufacturing should take into account the following
– Tools
• Molds, machinery, etc.
– Processes
– Waste Material
– Packaging
– All emissions produced
– Energy used
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis:
Transportation, Storage and Distribution
• Transportation
– Equipment used to move goods
• Airplanes, trucks, trains, etc
– Distance
• Storage and Distribution
– Warehouses
– Wholesalers
– Retailers
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis:
Use, Reuse and Maintenance
Inventory or materials and energy required to fully utilize the product
• Use
– Energy required for normal use
– Emissions from normal use of the product
• Reuse
– Reusing product for the intended purpose
– Reusing the product in a different manner
• Maintenance
– Replacement parts motor oil, oil &
– Maintenance fluids air filter, hoses,
• Oils, grease, polish, paint, etc tires, etc.
CO2, H2O
spent motor oil,
spare parts for
oil & air filter, gasoline newer cars
hoses, tires, etc.
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis:
Recycle and Waste Management
• Recycle
– Salvage of useful parts
– Production of secondary raw materials
• Waste Management
– Disposal of non-salvageable product
• Landfills, hazardous waste dumps, etc
• Incineration
• Composting
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis: Types of Pollution
• Three main types of pollution
– Airborne emissions
• Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, etc
– Waterborne emissions
• Wastewater, untreated chemicals, etc
– Solid waste
• Scrap materials, process waste, etc
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis: ISO Standard
• Overall steps for LCA are defined in ISO 14044
• Steps for conducting an inventory analysis are explained in ISO 14041
• Steps involved
1. Preparing for data collection
2. Data collection
3. Validation of data
4. Relating data to unit process
5. Relating data to functional unit and data aggregation
6. Refining system boundaries
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis:
Example
• Example product: copy paper
• Raw Materials
– Wood, water, various chemicals, energy
– Chemical and Energy Recovery
• Manufacturing
– Machinery, processes, packaging material
• Transportation and Distribution
– Storage of paper in warehouses, selling of it via wholesalers/retailers
• Use
– Products associated with the use of copy paper
• Disposal
– Waste products, Recycling, landfilling
– Energy recovery
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Inventory Analysis: Your Turn
Exercise: Conduct an Inventory Analysis of a
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich:
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Important Aspects of Life Cycle
Assessment
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 25
Impact Assessment
Definition:
Impact assessment is the process of identifying the future
consequences of a current or proposed action. (cbd.int/impact)
Learning Objectives of this section:
a) To understand what needs to be included in
an impact assessment
b) To identify the usual steps and processes
included in an impact assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 26
Impact Assessment: ISO Standard
• Overall steps for LCA are defined in ISO 14044
• Protocol for an impact assessment is explained in ISO 14042
• Mandatory elements for an impact assessment
– Selection of impact categories
– Assignment of inventory analysis results
– Calculation of category indicator results (characterization)
• Optional elements
– Calculation of the magnitude of category indicators (normalization)
– Grouping
– Weighting
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Impact Assessment:
What Needs to be Included?
All environmental impacts associated with the production, use and disposal of
the product
• Ecological Systems Degradation
• Resource Depletion
• Human Health & Welfare
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Impact Assessment:
Ecological Systems Degradation
Ecological system : An ecosystem is a natural
unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-
organisms (biotic factors) in an area functioning
together with all of the non-living physical (abiotic)
factors of the environment. (Christopherson, 1996)
• Chemical
– Toxicity
• Physical
– Habitat Loss
• Biological
– Foreign Species
Invasive species-Kudzu
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Impact Assessment:
Ecological Systems Degradation – Risks
Assessment
• Ecological Response to Indicator
• Intensity of Potential Effect
• Time Scale of Recovery
• Spatial Scale
• Transport Media
There is no global agreement in weighting risks
Cl
Hole in
Cl C Cl ozone layer
caused by
Freon
F
Freon 11
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Impact Assessment: Resource Depletion
• Resources are either renewable or non-renewable
– Renewable
• Hydroelectric energy, biomass products, most crops, etc
– Non-renewable
• Oil, minerals, metals, etc
• Ideally want to recycle as many non-renewable based components as
possible
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Impact Assessment:
Human Health & Welfare
• Analyze impact of product on human health
– Diseases that could potentially be caused by using the product
• Cigarettes: Cancer
– Diseases that can be caused by wastes produced by the product or the
production of it
• Solid particulates emitted in stack gasses for a coal burning plant: Cancer
• Products that harm human health can have a negative impact on a
company’s image
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Environmental Indices
1. IGW – global warming
2. ISF – smog formation
3. IOD – ozone depletion
4. IAR – acid rain
5. IINH – human inhalation
6. IING – ingestion toxicity
7. ICINH -human carcinogenic inhalation
8. ICING – carcinogenic ingestion toxicity
9. IFT – fish toxicity
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 33
Impact Assessment: Example
• Example product: copy paper
• Ecological systems degradation
– Impact of cutting down trees
– Impact of discharged chemicals in the
water waste on the water quality
• Resource depletion
– Resource is renewable because it is trees,
but it is not rapidly replaceable
– The paper is easily recyclable, reducing
primary raw material needed
– For energy, mostly self sufficient
• Human health and welfare
– Impact of chemicals used on human
health
– Impact of stack emissions from chemical
and energy recovery on health of
population around mill
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Impact Assessment: Your Turn
Exercise: Conduct the impact assessment for a Peanut
Butter and Jelly Sandwich
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Important Aspects of Life Cycle
Assessment
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 36
Interpretation
Learning Objectives of this section:
a) To be able to identify what needs to be included in
an interpretation
b) To understand how this step can be best used
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 37
Interpretation: ISO Standard
• Overall steps for LCA are defined in ISO 14044
• Proper protocol for interpretation is explained in ISO 14043
• Aside from presenting results, the interpretation should conduct these
checks
– Completeness check
– Sensitivity check
– Consistency check
• Include conclusions and recommendations
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Interpretation: The Feedback Mechanism
• Analyze opportunities to reduce or mitigate the environmental impact
throughout the whole life cycle of a product, process or activity.
• Analysis may include both quantitative and qualitative measures of
improvement
– Changes in product design
– Changes in raw material usage
– Changes in industrial processes
Original
product
After
Improvement
Analysis
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Interpretation: Example
• Example product: copy paper
• Changes in product design
– Determining potential areas of improvement for the product design
– Lighter weight paper?
– Lower brightness paper?
• Changes in raw materials
– Using more secondary materials in place of primary materials
– Use alternative chemicals
• Changes in industrial process
– Changing from Acid to Alkaline papermaking
– Changing from chlorine containing bleaching processes to chlorine free
bleaching processes
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Interpretation: Your Turn
Exercise: Interpret the results of your LCA and present
them to the group
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LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review
Carbon Footprint Model
for Bleached Pulp and Paper Products
Trevor H. Treasure, Jesse S. Daystar and Richard A. Venditti*
Department of Wood and Paper Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8005
*Corresponding author:
Richard_Venditti@ncsu.edu, (919) 515-6185
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 42
Waste Paper
What do we do with it all?
Paper
•More than 700 lb/person annual paper
consumption in the USA
•40% of all municipal waste is paper
•What should be done with waste paper?
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 43
Life Cycle Assessment
-Recycling Paper Products
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 44
Goals
Goal and Scope Definition
• To compare the carbon footprint of three waste
management scenarios for copy paper
1. Landfilling
2. Incineration
3. Recycling
• To perform a systematic and quantitative evaluation
of these three waste management options
• To provide a tool for consumers and waste
management personnel for determining the best
waste management practices
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 45
Scope
Goal and Scope Definition
• Three waste management scenarios considered.
1. Landfilling
2. Incinerating
3. Recycling
• This study will not consider the effect of recycling on the
value of wood or its consequences on the wood market
• A full impact assessment will not be performed
• This analysis only accounts for carbon emissions
• Other significant pollutants are emitted but are not
accounted for in this study, example heavy metals
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 46
Assumptions 1 of 2
•Increased recycle production has no effect on tree production
•Methane emissions from land fills have been converted to carbon
dioxide equivalents using a ratio of 21:1 (IPCC 1995, table 4, pg. 26)
•Avoided CO2 releases based on fuel mix for national electricity grid
•Heating value of copy paper 6213 BTU/lb (PTF White Paper No.3)
•Net heating value of methane 21,433 BTU/lb (engineeringtoolbox.com)
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 47
Assumptions 2 of 2
•Responsible silviculture replant to harvest ratio equals 1:1
•Carbon sequestration based on wood makeup and weight percent
carbon of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin
•All mills are considered to be average in energy and production
efficiency
•Office paper is assumed to be 20% inert, inorganic filler material
•Office paper fibers: 20% softwood and 80% hardwood
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 48
Life Cycle Assessment
-recycling paper products
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 49
Raw Material Composition
Paper Composition %
% Soft Wood 20%
% Hard Wood 80%
Component Softwood Hardwood
Cellulose 42% 45%
Hemicellulose 27% 30%
Lignin 31% 25%
Component % carbon by weight
Major Hemicellulose - SW 44.68%
Minor Hemicellulose - SW 47.31%
Major Hemicellulose - HW 37.76%
Minor Hemicellulose - HW 43.60%
Lignin 60.93%
Source: Dr. Dimitris S. Argyropoulos, course pack for WPS 332
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 50
Carbon Equivalents
•Carbon Equivalents Conversion
`
CO2 Tons 12 g carbon/mol
=Carbon Equivalents
44 g CO2/mol
Methane Tons 12 g carbon/mol
=Carbon Equivalents
16 g CH4/mol
12+(4x1)=16
Methane Tons combusted 12 g carbon/mol
=Carbon Equivalents
16 g CH4/mol
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 51
Process Flow Diagram 1 of 2
Virgin Production + Landfilling
Energy/fuel
CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Filler
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 52
Process Flow Diagram 1 of 2
Energy/fuel=0 CO2 Emissions=0
CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel
Energy/fuel
CO2 Emissions
Methane Emissions
Carbon Stored in landfill
Electricity production
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 53
Process Conversions
Process lb CO2 Per ton Source
Green Wood Transportation 305 Green wood Paper Task Force White Paper
Virgin Production 2995 Paper Paper Task Force White Paper
Transportation to Market 33 Paper Paper Task Force White Paper
Collection and Landfill Equipment 84 Paper Paper Task Force White Paper
Landfill % by wieght Source
CO2 Landfill Emmisions 15.2% Paper task force white papers
Methane Landfill Emissions 22.9% Paper task force white papers
Carbon Sequestured 61.9%
Mathane Recovered 50.0% Assume 50% (CORRIM)
CO2 from Methane Combustion 75.0%
Carbon Offset from Electrical Production Source
CO2 Offset from Electrical Production 127 CO2 lbs per MMBTU Paper Task Force White Paper
Net BTU 21433 BTU per lb Methane Engineering Tool Box
•1 ton methane is equal to 21 ton CO2 equivalents
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 54
Virgin Production + Landfill
Energy Requirements and Carbon Emissions
Energy Emissions
MMBTU UNIT PROCESS Ton Carbon Equivalents
0 Tree Growth -791
1909 Tree Harvest and Transport 139
37913 Paper Mill 1418
205 Paper Transport to Market 4.5
~0 Use of Product ~0
527 Collection Vehicle & Landfill Equipment 11.5
-1863 Landfill 30.5
38690 Total 812
•Negative values represent either energy created or carbon
sequestered
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 55
Process Flow Diagram 1 of 2
Virgin Production + Incineration
CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 56
Process Flow Diagram 2 of 2
Energy/fuel=0 CO2 Emissions=0
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
CO2 Emissions
Methane Emissions
Carbon
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 57
Virgin Production + Incineration
Calculations
• Incinerator carbon equivalents emissions=
tons carbon in wood Virgin paper mill yield % Fiber in paper
•Energy produced from paper combustion=
tons paper 6213 BTU 2000 1 MMBTU White paper #3
lbs
tons virgin production lb paper ton 1,000,000 BTU
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 58
Virgin Production + Incinerate
Energy Requirements and Carbon Emissions
Energy Emissions
MMBTU UNIT PROCESS Ton Carbon Equivalents
0 Tree Growth -791
1909 Tree Harvest and Transport 138.6
37913 Paper Mill 1418
205 Paper Transport to Market 4.5
~0 Use of Product 0.0
297 Collection Vehicle & Landfill Equipment 6.5
-11643 Incineration 89.0
28680 Total 866
•Negative values represent either energy created or carbon
sequestered
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 59
Process Flow Diagram 1 of 3
Recycled Production + Recycling
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel
CO2 Emissions
Filler Rejects to waste treatment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 60
Process Flow Diagram 2 of 3
Recycled Production + Recycling
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
Energy/fuel=0 Carbon sequestered in product
Possible decrease in
demand
NOTE: Tree growth loss is
assumed to be zero for this
study
Forest used in more profitable
ways such as construction
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 61
Process Flow Diagram 3 of 3
Recycled Production + Recycling
Energy/fuel CO2 Emissions
CO2 Emissions
Methane Emissions
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 62
Calculations
Recycled Production + Recycle
Carbon sequestered in use=
tons carbon in wood Virgin paper mill yield % Tons recycled paper
Tons virgin production
Carbon sequestered in landfill=
tons organics
(1-.382) Paper Task Force: White Papers
Filler content
Tons organics in sludge=
Tons recycled paper % Filler
Total sludge
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 63
Recycled Production + Recycle
Energy Requirements and Carbon Emissions
Energy Emissions
MMBTU UNIT PROCESS Ton Carbon Equivalents
989 Recovered Paper Collection 26.5
283 Material Recovery Facility 5.3
205 Transport to Recycle Mil 6
20300 Recycle Paper Mill 470
205 Transportation to Market 4.5
0 Use -380
227 Collection Vehicle and Landfill Equipment 4.9
-1133 Landfill 19
21077 Total 156.1
•Negative values represent either energy created or carbon
sequestered
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 64
Unit Process Emissions
Virgin Prod. + Virgin Prod. + Recycle Prod. +
All values are tons Landfill Incinerate Recycle
Carbon sequestered in tree growth -791 -791 N/A
Raw material acquisition 139 139 37.3
Paper mill production 1418 1418 470
Transport to market 4.5 4.5 4.5
Carbon sequestered in product 0 0 -395
Collection and landfill equipment/ sorting 11 6 4.9
Landfill 265.1 0.0 161
Carbon sequestered in landfill -235 0 -143
Incinerate N/A 89 N/A
Total Carbon Equivalents 812 866 141
Total Carbon Equivalents per ton 0.812 0.866 0.141
Total Carbon Equivalents per ton 0.812 0.866 0.141
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 65
% Difference From Landfilling
Carbon Equivalents Emissions Comparison % Difference from Landfilling
Virgin Prod. Virgin Prod. + Recycle Prod.
Landfill reported in tons for comparison + Landfill Incinerate + Recycle
Raw material acquisition 139 0% -73%
Paper mill production 1418 0% -67%
Collection and landfill equipment/ sorting 11 -44% -57%
Landfill 265 -100% -39%
Carbon sequestered in landfill -235 -100% -39%
Total Carbon Equivalents 812 7% -83%
Total Carbon Equivalents per ton 0.812 7% -83%
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 66
Sensitivity Analysis
Virgin Production + Landfill
Sensitivity Analysis on Carbon Equivalents per ton for Virgin Production + Landfill
Percent Change 10% -10% % Change from base Case
Softwood % 0.808 0.817 0.58%
Transportation emissions 0.828 0.797 1.90%
Landfill methane recovery 0.763 0.862 6.12%
•Base case value of .812 carbon equivalents per ton of production
•Landfill methane recovery rate has the largest impact on carbon
emissions
•Methane is 21 times more harmful than CO2
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 67
Sensitivity Analysis
Virgin Production +Incinerate
Sensitivity Analysis on Carbon Equivalents per ton for Virgin Production + Incinerate
Percent Change 10% -10% % Change from base Case
Softwood % 0.863 0.869 0.35%
Transportation emissions 0.881 0.851 1.73%
Landfill methane recovery 0.866 0.866 0.00%
•Base case value of .866 carbon equivalents per ton
of production
•The carbon emissions of this waste management
practice are not greatly impacted by these sensitivities
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 68
Sensitivity Analysis
Recycled Production + Recycling
Sensitivity Analysis on Carbon Equivalents per ton for Recycled Production + Recycle
Percent Change 10% -10% % Change from base Case
Softwood % 0.141 0.141 0.00%
Transportation emissions 0.145 0.136 2.95%
Landfill methane recovery 0.110 0.171 21.50%
•Base case value of .141 carbon equivalents per ton of production
•Landfill methane recovery rate has the largest impact on carbon emissions
•Transportation emissions significantly impacted the total
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 69
Interpretation
Waste Management Method ton C produced/ton paper
Virgin Production + Landfill 0.650
Virgin Production + Incinerate 0.725
Recycle Production + Recycle 0.207
• The Recycling scenario has the smallest carbon footprint
• Landfill carbon footprint is highly dependent on the methane
recovery rate
• Increased recycling may reduce green house gas emissions
• Increased recycling may impact the wood market
– These impacts are outside the scope of this study
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 70
Interpretation: Environmental
Improvement Opportunities
• Potential Process Improvement
– Increase methane recovery in landfills
– Decrease transportation of products and raw materials
– Increase paper production efficiency
• Energy
– Use renewable transportation fuels
– Utilize renewable electrical power
– Increase energy efficiency in production process
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 71
Wood for Building Houses
An Example of LCA
Adam Taylor
Assistant Professor
Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries
203 Forestry Products, 2506 Jacob Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996
AdamTaylor@utk.edu
Phone: 865-946-1125
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 72
What Do You Think?
http://www.ussi.ca/residential_steel.html
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 73
Acknowledgment
• All of the information in this presentation is
based on work conducted by CORRIM
• http://www.corrim.org/
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 74
CORRIM
• Consortium for Research on Renewable
Industrial Materials
• Aims to provide a database of information for
quantifying the environmental impacts and
economic costs of building materials
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 75
Motivation
• The environmental consequences of changes in forest
management, product manufacturing, and construction are
poorly understood
• Lack of up-to-date, scientifically sound, product life-cycle data
in the United States, particularly life-cycle data regarding
wood and bio-based products
• For example, concerns about the sustainability of present
forest practices have lead to changes in forest harvesting in
the US. As a result, the US wood products sector has lost a
substantial market share to non-wood substitutes and foreign
suppliers
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 76
Mission: To create…
• A consistent database to evaluate the environmental
performance of wood and alternative materials from resource
regeneration or extraction to end use and disposal, i.e., from
"cradle to grave. (Figure 1).
• A framework for evaluating life-cycle environmental and
economic impacts.
• Source data for many users, including resource managers,
manufacturers, architects, engineers, environmental
protection and energy analysts, and policy specialists.
• An organizational framework to obtain the best science and
peer review
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 77
Membership in CORRIM
Research Institutions and Voting Board Members
University of Washington
Oregon State University
University of Minnesota
University of Idaho
FORINTEK, Canada
Virginia Tech
North Carolina State University
Purdue University
University of Maine
Penn State University
State University of New York
APA, The Engineered Wood Association
Western Wood Products Association
Composite Panel Association Research Foundation
Washington State University
Louisiana State University
Mississippi State University
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 78
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to building products
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 79
Goals
• To develop a database and modeling system
for environmental performance
measurements associated with materials use
• To respond to specific questions and issues
related to environmental performance and the
cost effectiveness of alternative management
and technology strategies.
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 80
Scope
Houses built with different materials
• Minneapolis (cold climate) - wood &
steel
• Atlanta (warm climate) - wood &
concrete
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 81
Minneapolis House – Front Elevation
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 82
Design Differences: Minneapolis
Full Basement 2062 sq.ft. 2 story
Characteristic Wood Design Steel Design
1st and 2nd Floors Engineered wood “I” –joists @ Steel 18 ga. “C” joist @ 12” (300mm)
16” (400mm) o/c & 19/32” o/c & 19/32” (15mm) plywood
(15mm) plywood decking decking
Above grade exterior walls 2” x 6” wood studs @ 16” (400mm) 1.5” x 3.63” Steel 20 ga. “C” studs @
o/c, #15 organic felt, OSB 16” (400mm) o/c, #15 organic felt,
sheathing, R19 fiberglass batt OSB sheathing, R13 fiberglass batt
insulation, 6mil polyethylene insulation, 1.5” EPS insulation,
vapor barrier, 12mm gypsum 6mil polyethylene vapor barrier,
board, vinyl siding 12mm gypsum board, vinyl siding
Below grade exterior walls 2”x4” wood studs @ 24” (600mm) 1.5” x 3.63” Steel 25 ga. “C” studs
o/c, R13 fiberglass batt @ 24” (600mm) o/c, R13
insulation, poly vapor barrier, fiberglass batt insulation, poly
12mm gypsum board vapor barrier, 12mm gypsum
board
Partition walls 2”x4” wood studs @ 16” (400mm) 1.5” x 3.63” Steel 25 ga. “C” studs @
o/c, 12mm gypsum board 16” (400mm) o/c, 12mm gypsum
two sides board two sides
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 83
Design Differences: Atlanta
2153 sq.ft. 1 story On-Slab
Characteristic Wood Design Concrete Design
Single-family dwelling type 1 story bungalow slab-on-grade
Floor area 2153 sq. ft. (200 sq.m)
Structure & Envelope
Foundation (footing and slab) 3000psi (20 Mpa) concrete
Foundation walls None
Main floor 100mm reinforced Slab-on-grade on footings
Exterior walls 2”x4” wood studs @ 16” (400mm) o/c, Concrete Block furred out with 2x4
#15 organic felt, OSB sheathing, wood studs 24”(600mm) o/c, R13
R13 fiberglass batt insulation, fiberglass batt insulation, 6mil poly
6mil poly vapor barrier, 12mm vapor barrier, 12mm gypsum
gypsum board, vinyl siding board, two-coat stucco finish
Window system PVC frame, operable, double glazed Low “E” Argon filled
Partition walls 2”x4” wood studs @ 16” (400mm) o/c,12mm gypsum board two-sides
Roof Light Frame Wood Trusses with OSB sheathing, R30 blown cellulose insulation,
6mil poly vapor barrier, 16mm gypsum board with 25 yr durability asphalt
shingles over #15 organic felt building paper.
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 84
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to building products
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 85
Life Cycle Inventory Analysis for Wood
Building Materials
Forest Management
(Regeneration)
(Transportation)
EMISSIONS
Raw Material Acquisition
(Harvest) EFFLUENTS
MATERIALS (Transportation)
SOLID WASTES
Product Manufacturing
ENERGY (Transportation) OTHER RELEASES
Building Construction
WATER (Transportation)
Use/Maintenance PRODUCTS
(Transportation)
Recycle/Waste Management COPRODUCTS
(Transportation)
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 86
System Boundaries
Forest Resources: NW and SE (25-100+ years)
“Cradle”
Harvesting ( < 1 Year)
logs NW and SE
“Gate Processing ( < 1 Year)
to lumber SE and NW (green and dry)
Gate” plywood NW and SE
OSB SE
Glulam, LVL, I-Joists
Construction ( < 1 Year)
wood and steel Minneapolis (cold)
wood and concrete Atlanta (warm)
Use and Maintenance (40 – 100+ years)
“Grave”
Disposal (< 1 Year)
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 87
Boundaries: Regeneration to waste disposal
Primary source for wood data
Secondary source for non wood data (ATHENA)
Regional product detail
Multi-material detail
Environmental Air, water, toxic substances, energy, carbon, waste
Performance:
• mid-point parameters for human health risk
Protocol: Strategic Research Plan (1998)
• Study Guideline (2000) – ISO consistent
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 88
Building Product LCI’s
• For building products
– for lumber, plywood, OSB, LVL, glulam, I-joists, trusses
• Unit process descriptions (saw, dry, plane etc.)
• Mill surveys at unit process level
• Non-wood inputs (energy by source, raw materials)
• Emissions and solid waste outputs
• Yields, flows (co-products) and mass balances
• Unit factor estimates (raw materials, air, water, and solid
emissions, energy, carbon) before and after impacts from
purchased energy and transportation
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 89
U.S. LCI Database Project
• ATHENA & NREL
• Publicly available info on common materials,
products and processes
• Could lead to “eco-impact labels”
– similar to food labeling
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 90
Life-Cycle Inventory results 1.0 MSF 3/8-in. basis plywood production
INPUTS OUTPUTS
Materials Units Per MSF Materials Units Per MSF
3/8-in. basis Bark 3/8-in. basis
ft.3 6.56E+01 Bark waste lb. 1.31E+01
Wood/resin lb. 1.89E+03 Bark ash lb. 7.75E+00
Roundwood (log) Total lb. 2.09E+01
lb. 1.59E+01 Products
a
Phenol-formaldehyde lb. 8.90E+00 Plywood lb. 9.91E+02
Extender and fillers lb. 1.11E+00 Co-products lb.
Wood chips lb. 4.25E+02
Catalyst a lb. 3.30E-01 Peeler core lb. 4.62E+01
Soda ash a lb. 1.98E+02 Green clippings lb. 3.10E+01
Veneer downfall lb. 3.44E+00
Bark b lb. 6.81E+00 Panel trim lb. 1.07E+02
Dry veneer lb. 1.51E+01 Sawdust lb. 9.63E+00
Green veneer Solid dry veneer lb. 6.68E+01
Total lb. 6.89E+02
Electrical energy Air emissions
Electricity kWh 1.39E+02 Acetaldehyde lb. 1.12E-02
b Acetone lb. 4.80E-03
Fuel for energy Acrolein lb. 4.95E-07
b lb. 3.83E+02
Hog fuel (produced) Benzene lb. 4.77E-04
CO lb. 1.91E+00
Hog fuel (purchased) lb. 3.40E+01 CO 2 fossil lb. 2.78E+02
Wood waste lb. 5.00E-01 CO 2 non-fossil lb. 2.78E+02
Liquid propane gas gal. 3.59E-01 Dust (PM10) lb. 2.08E-01
ft.3 1.63E+02 Formaldehyde lb. 1.80E-02
Natural gas Methanol lb. 1.28E-01
Diesel gal. 3.95E-01 NO x lb. 2.34E-01
Organic substances lb. 2.20E-02
a These materials were excluded based on the 2% rule. Particulates lb. 3.47E-01
b Bark and hogged fuel are wet weights whereas Phenol lb. 8.27E-03
all other wood materials are oven dry weights; SO 2 lb. 7.74E-04
bark weight is included in the “hog fuel (produced)” weight. SO x lb. 1.01E-01
VOC lb. 6.26E-01
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 91
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to building products
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 92
An example of LCI comparisons: Minneapolis
Steel minus Wood
Extraction (primary materials in kg)
8,000
5,595
6,000
4,000
2,457
2,000
558 352 390 691
162
0
-2,000
-4,000
-6,000
-6,398
-8,000
Limestone (kg) Iron Ore (kg) Water (1000 Obsolete Coal (kg) Wood Fiber Metallurgical Prompt Scrap
liters) Scrap Steel (kg) Coal (kg) Steel (kg)
(kg)
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 93
An example of LCI comparisons : Atlanta
Concrete minus Wood
Extraction (primary materials in kg)
7,000 6,421
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,072
2,000
1,000 583 367
160
0
-1,000
-2,000 -1,620
-3,000
Limestone Iron Ore (kg) Fine Obsolete Wood Fiber Prompt
(kg) Aggregate Scrap Steel (kg) Scrap Steel
(kg) (kg) (kg)
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 94
GWP: Minneapolis and Atlanta
50
45
40
TONS CO2 Equivalent
35
30 CH4
25 N2O
20 CO2
15
10
5
0
Steel Wood Concrete Wood
Minneapolis Atlanta
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 95
Summary - Minneapolis Building
Other Design
vs. Wood (%
Minneapolis design Wood Steel Difference Change)
Embodied Energy (GJ) 651 764 113 17%
Global Warming
Potential
(CO2 kg) 37,047 46,826 9,779 26%
Air Emission Index
(index scale) 8,566 9,729 1,163 14%
Water Emission Index
(index scale) 17 70 53 312%
Solid Waste
(total kg) 13,766 13,641 -125 -1%
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 96
Summary - Atlanta Building
Other Design vs.
Wood (%
Atlanta Design Wood Concrete Difference Change)
Embodied Energy ( GJ) 398 461 63 16%
Global Warming Potential
(CO2 kg) 21,367 28,004 6,637 31%
Air Emission Index
(index scale) 4,893 6,007 1,114 23%
Water Emission Index
(index scale) 7 7 0 0%
Solid Waste
(total kg) 7,442 11,269 3,827 51%
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 97
Other Studies – Same Results
• 1992 New Zealand study
– Wood office building 55% of energy/70% carbon
versus concrete
– Steel wall 4x energy of wood wall
• 1992, 1993 Cdn studies
– Wood 1/3 energy and CO2 versus steel and
concrete
• Wood consistently lower emissions and less
energy
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 98
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to building products
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 99
Not All Energy is Equal
Product Manufacturing Carbon Emissions
800
700
CO2: Kg/cubic meter wood eq
600
carbon neutral biofuel
500
400
300
200
fossil
emissions
100
0
NW KD Lumber
1 NW Plywood
2 OSB
SE 3 4 Concrete
5
floor area eq.
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 100
Emissions to Water: Minneapolis
Other
Acids Wood
Other Metals
Iron Steel
Phosphorus
Dissolved Organic Compounds
Nitrates & Nitrites
Sulphides
Sulphates
Oil & Grease
Aluminum & Alumina
Chlorides
Halogenated Organics
Non-Halogenated Organics
Ammonia & Ammonium
Phosphates
Phenols
Cyanide
Non-Ferrous Metals
Chemical Oxygen Demand
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Dissolved Solids
Suspended Solids
Biological Oxygen Demand
0 50000 100000 150000 200000 250000
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 101
Emissions to Water: Minneapolis
On Equal Health Risk Basis
Iron
Sulphide Wood
Sulphate Steel
Oil-Gr
Alum
Chlor
Halo-Org
Nitr-Al
Phenol
CN
Non-Ferr
PAH
TDS
- 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 102
Energy in Building Life Cycle
Minneapolis House Atlanta House
Wood Steel Wood Concrete
Structure (GJ) 646 759 395 456
Maintenance (GJ) 73 73 110 110
Demolition (GJ) 7 7 7 9
Embodied energy total (GJ) 727 840 512 573
75 years of heat & 7800 4575
cooling energy (GJ)
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 103
Carbon Dynamics vs. Steady State
• LCI provides a cross sectional profile of all
processes -- a steady state analysis
• Tracking carbon pools over time offers a
dynamic alternative for a more financial
cost/benefit perspective
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 104
Net Product Life Carbon Emissions
800
no
product
600
carbon to
CO2: Kg/cubic meter wood eq.
store
400 OSB
200 KD
Lumber Plywood
0
Concrete
-200 floor area eq.
-400
-600 includes carbon
stored in product
-800
-1000
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 105
GWP Emissions for Framing Alternatives
180%
Concrete frame/wood frame
160% Atlanta
CO2 incr ease (%) fr om non- wood fr ame
140%
Steel frame/wood frame
120% Minneapolis
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Through ith
W Product
W
1 ith Product Through 2
Construction Carbon Construction Carbon
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 106
Carbon In Forest Pools
450
FIA data on old stands
400
350
No harvest
Metric Tons Per Hectare
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 2110 2120 2130 2140 2150 2160
Year
Harvest rotation years 45 80 120 NA
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 107
Carbon Dynamics Need to be Considered
0-165 Years
400 Averages over time intervals
350
0-120 Years
Metric Tons per Hectare
300
250
0-80 Years
200
150
0-45 Years
100
50
0
45 80 120 NA 45 80 120 NA 45 80 120 NA 45 80 120 NA
Rotation Length in Years
Forest Products, Emissions, and Displacement Sustitution
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 108
Carbon Emissions in Representative
Building Life Cycle Stages
CO2 Minneapolis House Atlanta House
Metric Tons Wood Steel Wood Concrete
Emissions in Mfg 37.1 46.8 21.4 28.0
Construction & Demo
Emissions from Biofuel 3.6 2.6 3.4 2.7
Emissions from Maintenance 3.4 3.4 4.1 4.1
Emissions from Heating & Cooling 390 390 232 232
Subtotal of Sources 434 443 261 267
Forest Sequestration (467) (246) (103) (85)
Wood product Storage (22.4) (11.8) (17.1) (14.1)
Subtotal of Sinks and Stores (489) (258) (121) (100)
Net emissions (55) 185 140 167
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 109
Interpretation: Environmental
Improvement Opportunities
• Redesign the house
– use less fossil-intensive products (wood is good!)
– reduce energy use (both active and passive)
– improve durability to increase useful life
• Improve the product
– greater use of biofuel
– engineered products for greater raw materials efficiency
– increase process efficiencies, especially in drying
– pollution control improvements
– increase product durability
• Reduce, reuse and recycle demolition wastes
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 110
LCA Strengths & Weaknesses
• Pro • Con
– System wide – Dependent on
– Quality and quality of LCI
objectivity – LCI difficult to
– Multiple impact establish
factors – Steady state
– Resources
change
– Time value of
money
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 111
Life Cycle Assessments
Biomass to Ethanol from Different
Regional feedstocks
Jesse Daystar, Richard Venditti*
Based on work of Kemppainen and Shonnard
Department of Wood and Paper Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8005
*Corresponding author:
Richard_Venditti@ncsu.edu, (919) 515-6185
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 112
Biomass to Ethanol
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Biomass Estimation
– Estimated 3.56 million dry tons on a sustainable basis in U.S.
per day2
• U.S. Oil Consumption
– 868.6 million gallons/day1
• Potential ethanol production
– 9.58 million gallons per day of oil equivalents2
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 113
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 114
Goals
• To compare the environmental impacts of two
processes that utilize different regional
cellulosic feedstocks to produce ethanol.
1. Yellow Poplar regional to Michigan
2. Recycled Newsprint
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 115
Scope
• "Cradle to gate”
– Acquisition of raw material through production of
ethanol
• Different from “cradle to grave”
– Will not investigate the impacts of the use of ethanol
• Why Cradle to Gate?
– End use of ethanol for both alternatives is identical
Cradle Production Gate
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 116
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 117
Simulation and Modeling
Yellow Poplar
Pre-manufacturing
diesel & Raw material &
gasoline energy
diesel
electricity
Transportation
Felling & Skidding Chipping Ethanol Production
Boustead Model ASPEN Simulation & EFRAT
Emissions Factors &
EFRAT
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 118
Simulation and Modeling
News Print
Pre-manufacturing
diesel & Raw material &
gasoline energy
diesel
electricity
Transportation
Collection & Sorting Pulping Ethanol Production
Boustead Model ASPEN Simulation & EFRAT
Emissions Factors &
EFRAT
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 119
Feedstock Composition
% dry wt basis
Yellow
Poplar(NREL) Yellow Poplar
component 3 upper Michigan timber newsprint
cellulose 42.6 49.15 63.77
xylan 19.05 16.89 5.26
arabinan 0.79 1.04 0.61
mannan 3.93 3.76 4.96
galactan 0.24 1.01 0.61
acetate 4.64 3.38 0.00
lignin 27.68 24.45 21.26
ash 1.00 0.31 3.54
moisture 47.9 68.4 5.0
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 120
Boustead Model
Standard Data Sets
Custom Data Sets Transportation
distances, materials
used, utilities
Life Cycle Inventory Results
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 121
NREL Process Modeling
•Modeling software
ASPEN
•Developed by M.I.T. and the Department of Energy
•Process modeling
•Process optimization
Life Cycle Inventory Results
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 122
Pre-manufacturing
Energy Usage
upper MI timber newsprint
Kg/h MJ/h Kg/h MJ/h
Premanufacturing, Chemicals
ammonia 1,194 88,620 638 47,370
ammonium sulfate 108 2,216 169 3,376
antifoam 268 21,628 356 28,696
calcium phosphate 108 1,161 169 1,899
diesel 470 557 0 0
gasoline 938 1,088 978 1,134
lime 693 8,124 570 6,647
sulfuric acid 1,839 9,495 1,680 8,651
subtotal 132,889 97,773
Premanufacturing, Operations
felling (gasoline) 21 1,688 0 0
skidding (diesel) 33 2,216 0 0
transportation (diesel) 157 6,752 232 9,917
chipping (gasoline) 12 633 0 0
pulping (electricity) 0 9,073
subtotal 11,289 18,990
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 123
Simplified Process Flow
Ammonia, Lime, Acid
Feedstock Feed Chips Sugars
Pretreatment
Handling Hydrolysis &
(Detoxification)
Fermentation
Recycle water
Recycle Water
Nutrients
Air Enzyme
Waste Water Steam
Treatment Cellulase
(Solid Separation)
Excess Condensate
Product & Water
Recovery
Still Solids
Ethanol
Utilities Waste
Combustion
Ethanol
Electricity Storage
Steam
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 124
Detailed Process Flow
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 125
Energy Balance
Upper Michigan Timber
•Process loses 9.7% of total energy through processes inefficiencies
•30% of total energy consumed in cooling water system
This is higher than newsprint due to higher boiler throughput
•Energy balance has an accuracy of 2%
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 126
Energy Balance
News Print
•2.2% more energy leaves with ethanol product for newsprint
compared to timber process
•Energy balance has an accuracy of 0.3%
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 127
Process Air Emissions
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 128
LCA Progress So Far
☐
•So far we have
•Defined scope
•Defined goal/objective
•Performed inventory analysis
•Performed energy balance
•Next
•Impact assessment ☐
•LCA interpretation
•LCA improvement
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 129
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 130
Impact Modeling
•Environmental Fate and Risk Assessment Tool (EFRAT)
•Developed by Michigan Technological Institute
Department of Chemical Engineering
•Model basis
simulation output
preprogrammed chemical and soil properties
•Evaluates
8 environmental indices
Safety factors
Economic factors
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 131
Environmental Indices
1. IGW – global warming
2. ISF – smog formation
3. IOD – ozone depletion
4. IAR – acid rain
5. IINH – human inhalation
6. IING – ingestion toxicity
7. ICINH -human carcinogenic inhalation
8. ICING – carcinogenic ingestion toxicity
9. IFT – fish toxicity
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 132
Environmental Indices
(Kg/L EtOH)
carcinogenic Human
Human Global Smog
Fish Toxicity Ingestion Toxicity ingestion Carcinogenic Acid Rain
Inhalation Inhalation Warming Formation
toxicity
Upper Michigan Timber
premfg process a 3.83E-06 1.52E-07 0.129 1.83E-11 6.1E-13 0.526 1.85E-05 3.59E-03
mfg process 2.32 26.1 0.415 0 0 -0.33 6.66E-04 3.46E-02
total (kg/L EtOH) 2.32 26.1 0.542 1.83E-11 6.1E-13 0.196 6.68E-04 2.82E-02
Newsprint
premfg processb 3.20E-06 1.65E-07 0.119 2.42E-11 8.08E-13 0.478 1.78E-05 3.36E-03
mfg process 1.02 26.9 0.433 0 0 0.291 5.44E-04 3.09E-02
total (kg/L EtOH) 1.02 26.9 0.552 2.42E-11 8.08E-13 0.769 5.60E-04 3.43E-02
a Impacts from producing chemicals used in the ethanol process, for felling, skidding, and transportation of timber and of chipping.
b Impacts from producing chemicals used in the ethanol process, of transportation of newsprint, and of pulping
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 133
Normalized Environmental Indices
• Each environmental index is multiplied by a
weighting factor
• The sum of all weighted indices=
IL-CC – life cycle composite index
• Life cycle composite index gives an overall
value to process impacts
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 134
Normalized and Weighted Environmental Indices
Higher
(Kg/L EtOH) Weighting
Factor
Upper MI Timber Newsprint
Weighted Weighting Weighted Weighting
(Kg/L) Index Index Factor Index Index Factor
ICINH 6.10E-13 1.45E-18 2.4E-06 8.08E-13 1.93E-18 2.4E-06
ICING 1.83E-11 4.33E-17 2.4E-06 2.42E-11 5.70E-17 2.4E-06
IFT 2.32 1.78E-08 7.7E-09 1.02 7.85E-09 7.7E-09
IING 26.1 1.01E-07 3.8E-09 26.9 1.04E-07 3.8E-09
IINH 0.542 2.09E-09 3.8E-09 0.552 2.13E-09 3.8E-09
IAR 3.83E-02 2.12E-11 5.5E-10 3.43E-02 1.91E-11 5.5E-10
ISF 6.68E-04 8.80E-14 1.3E-10 5.60E-04 7.40E-14 1.3E-10
IGW 0.196 8.93E-14 4.6E-13 0.769 2.49E-13 4.6E-13
IL-CC MI Timber 1.21E-07 Newsprint 1.14E-7
Newsprint process has about 6% lower life cycle composite index.
Lower
Weighting
Factor
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 135
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 136
Life Cycle Improvement Analysis
Process improvements to reduce emissions
1. Cellulase seed reactor vent recycle stream
2. Cellulase seed reactor vent stream as combustion air
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 137
Life Cycle Improvement Analysis
Seed Reactor Recycle Stream
• Recycle 75% of Cellulase seed reactor vent back to the Cellulase
seed reactor
Recycle stream already at operating pressure
Recycle stream contains 90% of required O2 concentration
Yellow Poplar
4.8% reduction of compressed air
7.5 % reduction in total utilities
2.2% reduction in IL-CC
Newsprint
50% reduction in compressed air
8.6% reduction in utility consumption
6.4% increase in IL-CC
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Life Cycle Improvement Analysis
Seed Reactor vent stream recycle
•Indices compared to original process
•Yellow Poplar
•All indices decreased
•Less volatile organic compounds released
•Newsprint
•Increase in IFT, IING, and ISF
•Decrease in IGW and IAR
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Life Cycle Improvement Analysis
Seed Reactor vent stream as combustion air
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) from the seed reactor are
combusted and used for energy
• Yellow Poplar
0.4% utilities reduction
20% decrease in ISF, and IING
2.7% reduction in IL-CC
• News Print
2.1% utilities reduction
20% decrease in ISF, and IING
18.0% reduction in IL-CC
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Life Cycle Improvement Analysis
Seed Reactor vent stream as combustion air
•Indices compared to original process
•The smog formation indices decrease significantly as a result of utilizing the
heating value of ethanol to offset natural gas usage
•Reduction in the ingestion index also results from less ethanol in the vent stream
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Life Cycle Assessment
Newsprint
Conclusions
Pros
1. Less fossil fuel required in pre-manufacturing
2. Lower ecotoxicity
3. Lower overall IL-CC
Cons
1. Manufacturing process is not energy self sufficient
2. Higher index for IING, IINH, ICING, ICINH, and IGW
Yellow Poplar Timber
Pros
1. Manufacturing process is self sufficient and exports electricity to the grid
2. Lower global warming index
3. Lower impacts to human health
Cons
1. More fossil fuel required in pre-manufacturing
2. Higher ecotoxicity
3. Higher overall IL-CC
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Life Cycle Assessment
Conclusions
Main chemical contributors to indices
• acetic acid
• Carbon monoxide
• Ethanol
Fossil fuel energy required to produce transportation fuel
• Yellow Poplar (ethanol)- 14% of energy content
• Newsprint (ethanol)- 27% of energy content
• Petroleum (gasoline/diesel)- 20% additional energy needed
Future Work
• Impacts of large scale timber harvesting need to be examine
• Additional studies comparing biomass-to-ethanol facilities to petroleum refineries
needed to evaluate local health impacts1
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 143
LCA Overall Review
•What you learned how to
•Define the goals and scope of a LCA
•Perform inventory analysis
•Perform an impact assessment
•Examples reviewed
•Copy paper case study
•Building material case study
•Bioethanol case study
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 144
Copy Paper Case Study Review
• The Recycling scenario has the smallest carbon footprint
• Landfill carbon footprint is highly dependent on the methane
recovery rate
• Increased recycling may reduce green house gas emissions
• Increased recycling may impact the wood market
– These impacts are outside the scope of the study
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 145
Housing Case Study Review
• Atlanta house
• Wood-
• 512 GJ embodied energy
• Concrete-
• 573 GJ embodied energy
• 26% higher emissions
• 120% higher emissions when including carbon sequestered
• Minneapolis
• Wood-
• 727 GJ embodied energy
• Steel frame-
• 840 GJ embodied energy
• 31% higher emissions
• 156% higher emissions when including carbon sequestered
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LCA Overall Review
•LCA has a great potential to help decrease the impacts of
industrial processes
•LCAs can be a powerful marketing tool
•LCA can be an effective means to quantify and minimize
emissions
•LCA may become increasingly important with the
introduction of carbon credits
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 147
References
1. Energy Information Administration, Petrolium basic statistics;
http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html
2. Kelly, Stephen; Forest Biorefineries: Reality, Hype or
Something in Between?; Paper Age, March 2006;
3. Kemppainen, Amber; Shonnard, David; Comparative Life-
Cycle Assessment for Biomass-to-Ethanol Production from
Different Regional Feedstocks; Department of Chemical
Engineering, Michigan Technological University; Biotechnol.
Prog. 2005, 21, 1075-1084.
4. Wooley, R.; Ruth, M.; Sheehan, J.; Ibsen, K.; Majdeski, H.;
Galvez. A. Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process
Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid
Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis Current and Future
Scenarios; National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL/TP-580-26157, July 1999
LCA: General Definition LCA Procedure Paper Recycling Housing Bioethanol Review 148
