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.
3
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
4
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
Example LCA Process
Recycled Materials
Energy
Energy
Raw
Production
Materials
Energy
Energy
Transportation
Use
Energy
Disposal
Recycle
Waste
Waste
Waste
Emissions to
air and water
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Waste
Waste
Emissions to
air and water
Paper Recycling
Housing
Emissions to
air and water
Bioethanol
Emissions to
air and water
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
7
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
9
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
10
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
11
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
Raw
Materials
Production
Energy
Energy
Transportation
Energy
Use
Disposal
Recycle
W
a
s
t
e
W
a
s
t
e
W
a
Emissions tosair
and water t
e
Emissions to air
and water
W
a
s
t
e
W
a
Emissions tosair
and water t
e
Emissions to air
and water
14
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
15
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
16
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
17
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
18
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 &
air filter, hoses,
– Maintenance fluids
tires, etc.
• Oils, grease, polish, paint, etc
CO2, H2O
spent motor oil,
oil & air filter,
hoses, tires, etc.
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
gasoline
spare parts for
newer cars
19
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
20
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
21
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
22
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
23
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:
24
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
27
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
28
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 microorganisms (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
29
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
Cl
C
Hole in
ozone layer
caused by
Freon
Cl
F
Freon 11
30
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
31
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
32
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
34
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
35
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
38
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
39
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
40
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
41
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
Goal and Scope
Goals 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
ScopeDefinition
Goal and Scope
• Three waste management scenarios considered.
1.
2.
3.
Landfilling
Incinerating
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
% Hard Wood
Component
Cellulose
Hemicellulose
Lignin
%
20%
80%
Softwood Hardwood
42%
45%
27%
30%
31%
25%
Component
Major Hemicellulose - SW
Minor Hemicellulose - SW
Major Hemicellulose - HW
Minor Hemicellulose - HW
Lignin
% carbon by weight
44.68%
47.31%
37.76%
43.60%
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
Methane Tons combusted 12 g carbon/mol
16 g CH4/mol
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
12+(4x1)=16
=Carbon Equivalents
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
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
CO2 Emissions
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
Green Wood Transportation
Virgin Production
Transportation to Market
Collection and Landfill Equipment
Landfill
CO2 Landfill Emmisions
Methane Landfill Emissions
Carbon Sequestured
Mathane Recovered
CO2 from Methane Combustion
lb CO2
305
2995
33
84
Per ton
Green wood
Paper
Paper
Paper
Source
Paper Task Force White Paper
Paper Task Force White Paper
Paper Task Force White Paper
Paper Task Force White Paper
% by wieght
Source
15.2%
Paper task force white papers
22.9%
Paper task force white papers
61.9%
50.0%
Assume 50% (CORRIM)
75.0%
Carbon Offset from Electrical Production
CO2 Offset from Electrical Production 127
CO2 lbs per MMBTU
Net BTU
21433 BTU per lb Methane
Source
Paper Task Force White Paper
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
MMBTU
0
1909
37913
205
~0
527
-1863
38690
UNIT PROCESS
Tree Growth
Tree Harvest and Transport
Paper Mill
Paper Transport to Market
Use of Product
Collection Vehicle & Landfill Equipment
Landfill
Total
Emissions
Ton Carbon Equivalents
-791
139
1418
4.5
~0
11.5
30.5
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
tons virgin production
lb paper
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
2000
lbs
ton
White paper #3
1 MMBTU
1,000,000 BTU
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
58
Virgin Production + Incinerate
Energy Requirements and Carbon Emissions
Energy
MMBTU
0
1909
37913
205
~0
297
-11643
28680
Emissions
UNIT PROCESS
Tree Growth
Tree Harvest and Transport
Paper Mill
Paper Transport to Market
Use of Product
Collection Vehicle & Landfill Equipment
Incineration
Total
Ton Carbon Equivalents
-791
138.6
1418
4.5
0.0
6.5
89.0
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
LCA: General Definition
Rejects to waste treatment
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
60
Process Flow Diagram 2 of 3
Recycled Production + Recycling
Energy/fuel
CO2 Emissions
Carbon sequestered in product
Energy/fuel=0
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=
Total sludge
LCA: General Definition
Tons recycled paper
LCA Procedure
% Filler
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
63
Recycled Production + Recycle
Energy Requirements and Carbon Emissions
Energy
MMBTU
989
283
205
20300
205
0
227
-1133
21077
UNIT PROCESS
Recovered Paper Collection
Material Recovery Facility
Transport to Recycle Mil
Recycle Paper Mill
Transportation to Market
Use
Collection Vehicle and Landfill Equipment
Landfill
Total
Emissions
Ton Carbon Equivalents
26.5
5.3
6
470
4.5
-380
4.9
19
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. +
Landfill
Incinerate
Recycle
All values are tons
Carbon sequestered in tree growth
-791
-791
N/A
Raw material acquisition
Paper mill production
Transport to market
Carbon sequestered in product
Collection and landfill equipment/ sorting
Landfill
Carbon sequestered in landfill
Incinerate
Total Carbon Equivalents
Total Carbon Equivalents per ton
Total Carbon Equivalents per ton
139
1418
4.5
0
11
265.1
-235
N/A
812
0.812
0.812
139
1418
4.5
0
6
0.0
0
89
866
0.866
0.866
37.3
470
4.5
-395
4.9
161
-143
N/A
141
0.141
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
Virgin Production + Landfill
Virgin Production + Incinerate
Recycle Production + Recycle
ton C produced/ton paper
0.650
0.725
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 @ 16”
(400mm) o/c & 19/32” (15mm)
plywood decking
Steel 18 ga. “C” joist @ 12” (300mm)
o/c & 19/32” (15mm) plywood
decking
Above grade exterior walls
2” x 6” wood studs @ 16” (400mm)
o/c, #15 organic felt, OSB
sheathing, R19 fiberglass batt
insulation, 6mil polyethylene
vapor barrier, 12mm gypsum
board, vinyl siding
1.5” x 3.63” Steel 20 ga. “C” studs @
16” (400mm) o/c, #15 organic felt,
OSB sheathing, R13 fiberglass batt
insulation, 1.5” EPS insulation,
6mil polyethylene vapor barrier,
12mm gypsum board, vinyl siding
Below grade exterior walls
2”x4” wood studs @ 24” (600mm)
o/c, R13 fiberglass batt
insulation, poly vapor barrier,
12mm gypsum board
1.5” x 3.63” Steel 25 ga. “C” studs @
24” (600mm) o/c, R13 fiberglass
batt insulation, poly vapor barrier,
12mm gypsum board
Partition walls
2”x4” wood studs @ 16” (400mm)
o/c, 12mm gypsum board two
sides
1.5” x 3.63” Steel 25 ga. “C” studs @
16” (400mm) o/c, 12mm gypsum
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
Single-family dwelling type
Wood Design
Concrete Design
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,
#15 organic felt, OSB sheathing,
R13 fiberglass batt insulation, 6mil
poly vapor barrier, 12mm gypsum
board, vinyl siding
Window system
PVC frame, operable, double glazed Low “E” Argon filled
2”x4” wood studs @ 16” (400mm) o/c,12mm gypsum board two-sides
Partition walls
Roof
LCA: General Definition
Concrete Block furred out with 2x4 wood
studs 24”(600mm) o/c, R13 fiberglass
batt insulation, 6mil poly vapor
barrier, 12mm gypsum board, two-coat
stucco finish
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 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)
Raw Material Acquisition
(Harvest)
(Transportation)
MATERIALS
EMISSIONS
EFFLUENTS
SOLID WASTES
Product Manufacturing
(Transportation)
ENERGY
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
“Cradle”
Forest Resources: NW and SE (25-100+ years)
Harvesting ( < 1 Year)
logs
“Gate
to
Gate”
NW and SE
Processing ( < 1 Year)
lumber
SE and NW (green and dry)
plywood NW and SE
OSB
SE
Glulam, LVL, I-Joists
Construction
( < 1 Year)
wood and steel Minneapolis (cold)
wood and concrete Atlanta (warm)
“Grave”
Use and Maintenance
Disposal
LCA: General Definition
(40 – 100+ years)
(< 1 Year)
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
87
Boundaries:
Environmental
Performance:
Protocol:
LCA: General Definition
Regeneration to waste disposal
Primary source for wood data
Secondary source for non wood data (ATHENA)
Regional product detail
Multi-material detail
Air, water, toxic substances, energy, carbon, waste
• mid-point parameters for human health risk
Strategic Research Plan (1998)
• Study Guideline (2000) – ISO consistent
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
Materials
Units Per MSF
3/8-in. basis
6.56E+01
ft.3
Wood/resin
lb.
1.89E+03
Roundwood (log)
lb.
1.59E+01
a
Phenol-formaldehyde lb.
8.90E+00
lb.
1.11E+00
Extender and fillers
lb.
3.30E-01
Catalyst a
lb.
1.98E+02
Soda ash a
lb.
6.81E+00
Bark b
lb.
1.51E+01
Dry veneer
Green veneer
Electrical energy
kWh
1.39E+02
Electricity
b
Fuel for energy
b lb.
3.83E+02
Hog fuel (produced)
3.40E+01
Hog fuel (purchased) lb.
lb.
5.00E-01
Wood waste
gal.
3.59E-01
Liquid propane gas
ft.3
1.63E+02
Natural gas
gal.
3.95E-01
Diesel
a These materials were excluded based on the 2% rule.
b Bark and hogged fuel are wet weights whereas
all other wood materials are oven dry weights;
bark weight is included in the “hog fuel (produced)” weight.
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Materials
Bark
Bark waste
Bark ash
Total
Products
Plywood
Co-products
Wood chips
Peeler core
Green clippings
Veneer downfall
Panel trim
Sawdust
Solid dry veneer
Total
Air emissions
Acetaldehyde
Acetone
Acrolein
Benzene
CO
CO 2 fossil
CO 2 non-fossil
Dust (PM10)
Formaldehyde
Methanol
NO x
Organic substances
Particulates
Phenol
SO 2
SO x
VOC
Paper Recycling
Housing
OUTPUTS
Per MSF
Units
3/8-in. basis
lb.
1.31E+01
lb.
7.75E+00
lb.
2.09E+01
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
9.91E+02
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
lb.
1.12E-02
4.80E-03
4.95E-07
4.77E-04
1.91E+00
2.78E+02
2.78E+02
2.08E-01
1.80E-02
1.28E-01
2.34E-01
2.20E-02
3.47E-01
8.27E-03
7.74E-04
1.01E-01
6.26E-01
Bioethanol
4.25E+02
4.62E+01
3.10E+01
3.44E+00
1.07E+02
9.63E+00
6.68E+01
6.89E+02
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
2,000
2,457
558
352
390
691
162
0
-2,000
-4,000
-6,000
-6,398
-8,000
Limestone (kg)
LCA: General Definition
Iron Ore (kg)
Water (1000
liters)
LCA Procedure
Obsolete
Scrap Steel
(kg)
Paper Recycling
Coal (kg)
Housing
Wood Fiber
(kg)
Metallurgical
Coal (kg)
Bioethanol
Prompt Scrap
Steel (kg)
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
160
367
0
-1,000
-2,000
-1,620
-3,000
Limestone
(kg)
LCA: General Definition
Iron Ore (kg)
LCA Procedure
Fine
Aggregate
(kg)
Paper Recycling
Obsolete Wood Fiber
Prompt
Scrap Steel
(kg)
Scrap Steel
(kg)
(kg)
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
94
GWP: Minneapolis and Atlanta
50
TONS CO2 Equivalent
45
40
35
30
CH4
25
N2O
CO2
20
15
10
5
0
Steel
Wood
Concrete
Minneapolis
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Wood
Atlanta
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
95
Summary - Minneapolis Building
Minneapolis design
Wood
Steel
Difference
Other Design
vs. Wood (%
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
Atlanta Design
Wood
Concrete
Difference
Other Design vs.
Wood (%
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
CO2: Kg/cubic meter wood eq
800
700
600
carbon neutral biofuel
500
400
300
200
fossil
emissions
100
0
NW KD Lumber
1
LCA: General Definition
NW Plywood
2
LCA Procedure
SE 3
OSB
Paper Recycling
4
Housing
Concrete
5
floor area eq.
Bioethanol
Review
100
Emissions to Water: Minneapolis
Other
Wood
Steel
Acids
Other Metals
Iron
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
LCA: General Definition
50000
LCA Procedure
100000
Paper Recycling
150000
Housing
200000
Bioethanol
Review
250000
101
Emissions to Water: Minneapolis
On Equal Health Risk Basis
Iron
Sulphide
Sulphate
Oil-Gr
Alum
Chlor
Halo-Org
Nitr-Al
Phenol
CN
Non-Ferr
PAH
TDS
Wood
Steel
-
LCA: General Definition
20,000
LCA Procedure
40,000
Paper Recycling
Housing
60,000
Bioethanol
80,000
Review
102
Energy in Building Life Cycle
Minneapolis House
Wood
Steel
Wood
Concrete
Structure (GJ)
646
759
395
456
Maintenance (GJ)
73
73
110
110
Demolition (GJ)
7
7
7
9
727
840
512
573
Embodied energy total (GJ)
75 years of heat &
cooling energy (GJ)
LCA: General Definition
Atlanta House
7800
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
Housing
4575
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
CO2: Kg/cubic meter wood eq.
600
400
200
OSB
KD
Lumber
no
product
carbon to
store
Plywood
0
Concrete
floor area eq.
-200
-400
includes carbon
stored in product
-600
-800
-1000
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
105
GWP Emissions for Framing Alternatives
CO2 incre a se (%) f ro m no n -wo o d f ra me
180%
Concrete frame/wood frame
Atlanta
160%
140%
Steel frame/wood frame
120%
Minneapolis
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
T hro ugh
1W ith Produ ct
Con structio n Ca rb on
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
T hro ugh
2W ith Produ ct
Con structio n Ca rb on
Housing
Bioethanol
Review
106
Carbon In Forest Pools
450
FIA data on old stands
400
Metric Tons Per Hectare
350
No harvest
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
LCA: General Definition
45
LCA Procedure
80
Paper Recycling
120
Housing
NA
Bioethanol
Review
107
Carbon Dynamics Need to be Considered
0-165 Years
Averages over time intervals
400
Metric Tons per Hectare
350
0-120 Years
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
LCA: General Definition
Products, Emissions, and Displacement
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
Housing
Sustitution
Bioethanol
Review
108
Carbon Emissions in Representative
Building Life Cycle Stages
CO2
Metric Tons
Minneapolis House
Atlanta House
Wood
Steel
Wood
Concrete
Emissions in Mfg
Construction & Demo
37.1
46.8
21.4
28.0
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
– Quality and
objectivity
– Multiple impact
factors
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
– Dependent on
quality of LCI
– LCI difficult to
establish
– Steady state
– Resources
change
– Time value of
money
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
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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
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Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis
Interpretation
Impact Assessment
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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
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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
Production Gate
Cradle
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LCA Procedure
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Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis
Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
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117
Simulation and Modeling
Yellow Poplar
Pre-manufacturing
diesel &
gasoline
Raw material &
energy
diesel
electricity
Transportation
Felling & Skidding
Chipping
Boustead Model
Emissions Factors &
EFRAT
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Ethanol Production
ASPEN Simulation & EFRAT
Paper Recycling
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118
Simulation and Modeling
News Print
Pre-manufacturing
diesel &
gasoline
Raw material &
energy
diesel
electricity
Transportation
Collection & Sorting
Pulping
Boustead Model
Emissions Factors &
EFRAT
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Ethanol Production
ASPEN Simulation & EFRAT
Paper Recycling
Housing
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119
Feedstock Composition
% dry wt basis
component
cellulose
xylan
arabinan
mannan
galactan
acetate
lignin
ash
moisture
LCA: General Definition
Yellow
Poplar(NREL)
3
42.6
19.05
0.79
3.93
0.24
4.64
27.68
1.00
47.9
LCA Procedure
Yellow Poplar
upper Michigan timber
49.15
16.89
1.04
3.76
1.01
3.38
24.45
0.31
68.4
Paper Recycling
Housing
newsprint
63.77
5.26
0.61
4.96
0.61
0.00
21.26
3.54
5.0
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Boustead Model
Standard Data Sets
Custom Data Sets
Transportation
distances, materials
used, utilities
Life Cycle Inventory Results
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LCA Procedure
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NREL Process Modeling
•Modeling software
ASPEN
•Developed by M.I.T. and the Department of Energy
•Process modeling
•Process optimization
Life Cycle Inventory Results
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LCA Procedure
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Pre-manufacturing
Energy Usage
upper MI timber
Kg/h
MJ/h
Premanufacturing, Chemicals
ammonia
1,194
88,620
ammonium sulfate
108
2,216
antifoam
268
21,628
calcium phosphate
108
1,161
diesel
470
557
gasoline
938
1,088
lime
693
8,124
sulfuric acid
1,839
9,495
subtotal
newsprint
Kg/h
MJ/h
638
169
356
169
0
978
570
1,680
132,889
97,773
Premanufacturing, Operations
felling (gasoline)
21
1,688
skidding (diesel)
33
2,216
transportation (diesel)
157
6,752
chipping (gasoline)
12
633
pulping (electricity)
subtotal
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
47,370
3,376
28,696
1,899
0
1,134
6,647
8,651
0
0
232
0
0
0
9,917
0
0
9,073
11,289
18,990
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Simplified Process Flow
Ammonia, Lime, Acid
Feedstock
Feed
Handling
Recycle water
Chips
Pretreatment
(Detoxification)
Sugars
Recycle Water
Nutrients
Air
Waste Water
Treatment
(Solid Separation)
Hydrolysis &
Fermentation
Enzyme
Steam
Cellulase
Excess Condensate
Product & Water
Recovery
Still Solids
Ethanol
Utilities
Waste
Combustion
Ethanol
Storage
Electricity
Steam
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
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Detailed Process Flow
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
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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 is off by 2.12%
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LCA Procedure
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Energy Balance
News Print
•2.2% more energy leaves with ethanol compared to timber process
•1.3% less energy required for cooling process compared to timber process
•Energy balance is off by .32%
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
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Process Air Emissions
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
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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
☐
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Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis
Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
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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
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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
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Environmental Indices
(Kg/L EtOH)
Fish Toxicity Ingestion Toxicity
Human
Inhalation
carcinogenic
ingestion
toxicity
Human
Carcinogenic
Inhalation
Global
Smog
Warming Formation
Acid Rain
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
Newsprint
0.542
1.83E-11
6.1E-13
0.196 6.68E-04 2.82E-02
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
total (kg/L EtOH)
1.02
26.9
0.552
a Impacts
b
0
0
0.291 5.44E-04 3.09E-02
2.42E-11 8.08E-13
0.769 5.60E-04 3.43E-02
from producing chemicals used in the ethanol process, for felling, skidding, and transportation of timber and of chipping.
Impacts from producing chemicals used in the ethanol process, of transportation of newsprint, and of pulping
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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
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Normalized and Weighted Environmental Indices
(Kg/L EtOH)
Upper MI Timber
Newsprint
(Kg/L)
Index
Weighted
Index
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
IL-CC
Weighting
Factor
0.196
8.93E-14 4.6E-13
MI Timber 1.21E-07
LCA: General Definition
Higher
Weighting
Factor
LCA Procedure
Index
Weighted
Index
Weighting
Factor
0.769
Newsprint
Paper Recycling
2.49E-13
4.6E-13
1.14E-7
Housing
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Review
Lower
Weighting
Factor
135
Life Cycle Assessment
-applied to cellulosic ethanol
Goal and Scope
Definition
Inventory Analysis
Interpretation
Impact Assessment
LCA: General Definition
LCA Procedure
Paper Recycling
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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
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LCA Procedure
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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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LCA Procedure
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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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LCA Procedure
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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
Conclusions
Newsprint
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
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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
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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
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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
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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 LifeCycle 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
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