Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment

1. Introduction to Environmental Life Cycle Assessment
2. The Idea and Principles of LCA
3. LCA: Goal and Scope of the Study
4. Life Cycle Inventory – General Idea
5. Scope of an LCA
6. Identifying the Boundaries of Analysis
7. System Boundaries
8. Life Cycle Inventory
9. Life Cycle Inventory – General Idea
10. Life Cycle Inventory – Important Considerations
11. Life Cycle Inventory – Modeling the System and Results
12. Life Cycle Inventory – Modeling the System and Results
13. Impact Assessment
14. Life Cycle Impact Assessment
15. Life Cycle Impact Assessment: Environmental impacts
16. Life Cycle Impact Assessment: Basis: The Inventory Table
17. Characterization of Environmental Impacts
18. Calculating Environmental Impacts
19. Environmental Concerns over the Life Cycle
20. Interpretation of the Results
21. Interpretation - Objectives
22. Interpretation - Elements
23. Summary of Life Cycle Assessment

The Scope definition

One of the tasks within the scope definition phase, is to specify the functions, or performance characteristics, of the product or system which is to be assessed. The standard procedure requires a functional unit to be defined. This describes and quantifies the product’s purpose. It provides a reference to which the input and output flow data relate.

For example for the function of drying hands, it is possible to use paper towels or an heated air dryer. The functional unit would be defined in terms of the number of pairs of hands to be dried. For both methods it is possible to estimate the amount of paper for the towels or the energy required for the air dryer.

The product system is defined as the collection of processes and sub-processes (unit processes) that enable the product to be made, used and dealt with at the end of its life.

References

• Eyerer, P,  Ganzheitliche Bilanzierung, Springer-Verlag, 354059356X 
• Rubin, ES,  Introduction to Engineering and the Environment, McGraw-Hill, 0072354674 
• ISO 14040-Series,  Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment, ISO,  
• Meadows, DL,  Die Grenzen des Wachstums, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 3421026335 
• Enquete-Kommission "Schutz des Menschen und der Umwelt" des Deutschen Bundestages (Hrsg.),  Verantwortung für die Zukunft : Wege zum nachhaltigen Umgang mit Stoff- und Materialströmen, Economica-Verlag GmbH, 3870815035