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Technical Document Analysis

The document outlines the steps to carry out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): 1. Define the goal and scope of the LCA including the purpose, decision criteria, functional unit, and system boundaries. 2. Conduct an inventory analysis by mapping the life cycle, collecting input/output data, and establishing material/energy balances. 3. Perform an impact analysis to identify environmental impact categories and assign indicators. 4. Conduct an improvement analysis to identify opportunities to reduce impacts and target processes with large environmental impacts.

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Sivaroopan Pillai
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180 views6 pages

Technical Document Analysis

The document outlines the steps to carry out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): 1. Define the goal and scope of the LCA including the purpose, decision criteria, functional unit, and system boundaries. 2. Conduct an inventory analysis by mapping the life cycle, collecting input/output data, and establishing material/energy balances. 3. Perform an impact analysis to identify environmental impact categories and assign indicators. 4. Conduct an improvement analysis to identify opportunities to reduce impacts and target processes with large environmental impacts.

Uploaded by

Sivaroopan Pillai
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Developing Life Cycle Assessment How to Use It Below is the step by step approach used to carry out the

Life Cycle Assessment:1. Goal Definition and Scope y y y y Establish purpose and goal Define decision criteria, function and functional unit Define system boundaries (life cycle stages, time, placeetc) Determine required data quality

2. Inventory Analysis y y y y y Make flow chart classifying events in a products life cycle Determine all mass and energy inputs and outputs Collect relevant data Make assumption for missing data Establish material and energy balance for each stage and event

Figure 1: Input/output diagram for single stage or unit operation

3. Impact Analysis y Define impact categories y Determine which loads affect different impact categories y Assign indicators to impact categories y Weigh importance of each category 4. Improvement Analysis y Identify areas and opportunities for improvement y Evaluate with respect to the original goal definition y Target lifecycle areas/processes/events with large impacts y Identify what are the resources required and risks involved

Example of Life Cycle Assessment In this study, we have chosen the domestic coffee maker as an example to perform the Life Cycle Assessment. Following are the steps to evaluate it:Goal Definition and Scope y Purpose of LCA - Determine how to improve the environmental performance of a coffee maker. y Decision criteria -Total energy consumed, equivalent CO2 produced y Function of coffee maker / Functional units -Cups of coffee poured, time coffee is warmed y System boundaries -Five years of use, Asia, production, use and end-of-life stages

Inventory Analysis y Understand the product components and materials

Figure 2: Components of the domestic coffee maker y Flow chart for domestic coffee maker

Figure 3: Flow chart for domestic coffee maker

Lifecycle inventory of a domestic coffee maker

Figure 4: Lifecycle inventory of a domestic coffee maker

Impact Analysis

Figure 5: Impact analysis on the production of a domestic coffee maker

Figure 6: Impact analysis on the use of a domestic coffee maker

Figure 7: Impact analysis on the disposal of a domestic coffee maker

Improvement Analysis y y Reduce the electricity required to operate the coffee maker Use more environmental friendly material rather than polystyrene

References www.srl.gatech.edu/education/ME4171/LCA_intro.ppt

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