Life Cycle Assessment

Mary Ann Curran

BSChE/MSc/PhD (June 2008)
LCA Research Program Manager
EPA Office of Research & Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
curran.maryann@epa.gov
 LCA is an environmental
management tool to:
• Apply a system-wide examination
• Use a multi-media approach (air, water,
solid waste)
• Identify trade-offs among alternatives
• Identify opportunities to improve systems
• Support environmental decision making
• Achieve sustainable development
 Life cycle thinking is being
applied but often not called LCA
• For example:
OECD Report “Biofuels: Is the Cure
Worse than the Disease? Sept 2007

These studies reveal bigger picture issues of

making (more) bioethanol, such as land
availability, water use, soil and water quality,
and food-for-fuel issues.
 “Life Cycle Studies” often focus
on a single issue, such as…
• Recycling/Resource Conservation
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Climate Change
• Carbon Balance
• Energy Balance

but miss the element of trade-offs.

So what is Life Cycle Assessment?
There is a standardized tool for
conducting a multi-media,
cradle-to-grave assessment
• ISO 14040 “Life Cycle Assessment –
Principles and Framework” 1997
• ISO 14044 “Life Cycle Assessment –
Requirements and Guidelines” 2006

* ISO – International Standards Organisation

 ISO 14040 Standards
Life cycle assessment framework

Goal and
Scope
Definition

Inventory
Interpretation
Analysis

Impact
Assessment
 Defining system
boundaries for E85
Raw Material Production Use
Acquisition Stage Stage
Stage

Blendstock
Crude Oil Bulk Terminal
Gasoline
Extraction Storage
Refining

Vehicle
Refueling
Station

EtOH Bulk Terminal

Corn Growing
Production Storage
Vehicle
Operation
Inventory data availability is a barrier
to conducting LCAs
• National LCI database still being developed
(www.nrel.gov/lci)
• Data come from many different sources, such as:
− Proprietary company data
− Consultants, labs, universities
− Public, e.g., Toxics Release Inventory (EPA)
• Databases use different units or different
reference flows; report on different time periods
• Often more than one source is needed to
calculate the necessary inventory data
• Data for new products must be estimated
 LCA Software/Consultants
• • EPS
AIST-LCA
• • GaBi
APME
• • GEMIS
Athena
• • GREET
ATHENA
• BEES
• IdeMAT
• Boustead • KCL-Eco 3.0
• CMLCA • LCAiT
• Dubo-Calc • LCAPix
• EcoInvent • MIET
• EcoQuantum • REGIS
• EDIP • SimaPro 5.0
• eiolca.net • SPINE
• EMIS • TEAM
• Umberto
 31 National Databases
(in varying stages of development)
Argentina Chile France Malaysia Spain

Australia China Germany Norway Sweden

Austria Chinese India The Switzerland

Tapei Netherlands

Belgium Denmark Italy Portugal Thailand

Brazil Estonia Japan Poland UK

Canada Finland Korea South Africa USA

Vietnam
 Impact Assessment -
Common Impact Categories
Impact Category Indicator Measurement
 Resources kg Scarce Resources
 Water m3 Water
 Global Warming kg CO2 equivalents
 Ozone Depletion CFC-11 equivalents
 Acidification kg SO2 equivalents
 Eutrophication kg PO43- equivalents
 Smog Formation kg Ethene equivalents
 Human Toxicity HTx equivalents
 Eco Toxicity ETx equivalents
 Waste kg Waste
 Land Use equivalent hectares
 Noise equivalent decibels
 Odor ??
 LCIA usually models to midpoints
(unlike Risk Assessment)
Emissions (CFCs, Halons)

Chemical reaction releases Cl- and Br-

Cl-, Br- destroys ozone

MIDPOINT measures ozone depletion potential (ODP)

Less ozone allows increased UVB radiation

which leads to following ENDPOINTS

skin cancer
cataracts

crop damage marine life damage

immune system suppression damage to materials like plastics

 Can we create a
Streamlined LCA?
• Out of necessity, all LCA’s are simplified in
some aspect, however,
• Narrowing the scope by
 Omitting stages
 Limiting the inventory
 Targeting impacts
can overlook potential trade-offs and report
misleading results.
 Current LCA Practice
• Public LCI data sources are few
• Vendor data lack transparency
• No guidance exists for data modeling
• Impact modeling varies
• No guidance exists for peer review
• International UNEP/SETAC workgroup is slowly
making progress
• US Database is underway but struggling to get
support/data
Worldwide growing interest
in the life cycle concept is
being ignited by

• Concerns about Global Climate

Change (“An Inconvenient Truth”)
• Walmart Scorecard development
• Green/Sustainable buildings
• General interest by companies to
be ‘green’
Sustainable Development requires
balancing environmental,
economic and social factors
 Suggested Reading
• ISO Standards 14040 & 14044 (2006)
• U.S. EPA (2006) Life Cycle Assessment Principles &
Practice EPA/600/R-06/060
• Curran, M.A. (ed.) (1996) Environmental Life Cycle
Assessment. McGraw-Hill, New York
• Baumann & Tillman (2004) The Hitch Hiker's Guide to
LCA: An Orientation in Life Cycle Assessment
Methodology and Application
• Heijungs R, et al (1992) Environmental Life Cycle
Assessment of Products. Vol. I: Guide, and Vol. II:
Backgrounds, Center for Envir. Studies, Leiden University
• International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
• Journal of Cleaner Production
• Journal of Industrial Ecology