Office of Research and DevelopmentNational Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

Photo image area measures 2” H x 6.93” W and can be masked by a collage strip of one, two or three images.

The photo image area is located 3.19” from left and 3.81” from top of page.

Each image used in collage should be reduced or cropped to a maximum of 2” high, stroked with a 1.5 pt white frame and positioned edge-to-edge with accompanying images.

November 4-5, 2009

Mary Ann Curran, PhD curran.maryann@epa.gov

The Opportunities and Pitfalls of Applying Life Cycle Thinking to Nanoproducts and Nanomaterials

Life Cycle Assessment

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Life Cycle AssessmentAn industrial environmental management approach to look holistically at products, processes, and activities.

Raw Material Acquisition

ProductionUse/Maintenance

End-of-LifeManagement

Reuse

Recycling

3

Antimicrobial Silver in Socks

Silver Ore Mining

RefinementSilver

Feedstock

TransportNanocomponent

Manufacturing

Use Nanoproduct Manufacturing

Disposal

Transport

Distribution

44 Time Magazine, March 23, 2009

Using LCA to “understand the global environmental consequences of our

local choices.”

5

Worldwide interest in the life cycle concept is ignited by several factors

• Increased concerns about Global Climate Change

(Al Gore’s 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”).• Walmart’s quest to develop a Sustainability Index for the products they carry.

• The US Green Building Council’s promotion of sustainable buildings and the LEED standard.

• General interest by companies to be ‘green’ and ‘sustainable.’

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Meyer D, Curran MA, and Gonzalez MA (2009) “An Examination of Existing Data for the Industrial Manufacture And Use of Nanocomponents and Their Role in the Life Cycle Impact of Nanoproducts,” ES&T 43(5); pp1256-1263.

7

Aspects of Applying Life Cycle Thinking to Nanoproducts

• Abridged Boundaries: Cradle-to-Gate• Life-Cycle Based Risk Assessment• Scale-Up to National Production Levels• Energy Demands• Global Climate Change Focus• Need for Decision Support

8

Glossary

• Life Cycle Concept: consideration of all the connected activities within an industrial system from cradle-to-grave, i.e. the product life.

• Life Cycle Assessment: a standardized process to quantify natural resources used and wastes released to the environment from cradle-to-grave; to assess the impact of quantities; and to identify opportunities to affect environmental improvements.• Screening Level or Streamlined Assessment• Detailed Life Cycle Assessment

• Life Cycle-Based Approach: use of the life cycle concept to view a product system from cradle to grave but limit the study to a pre-determined area of concern, such as energy use, global climate change, material use, etc.

• Life Cycle Management: the integration of environmental, economic, technological, risk, implementation, and societal aspects of products & services on a life cycle basis.

99

Life Cycle Stages

• Raw Material Acquisition

• Material Processing

• Production

• Use and Maintenance

• End-of-Life

Natural Resources

Air Emissions

Water Effluents

Solid Waste

Study Boundary

Rec

ycli

ngR

euse

Product System Boundary

101010

Cradle-to-Gate Studies

Natural Resources

Air Emissions

Water Effluents

Solid Waste

Study boundary

Rec

ycli

ngR

euse

Cradle-to-gate boundaries – excluding downstream activities

past product manufacture – can be

called an LCA BUT claims must relate to what was studied and

not be overstated.

Such studies are helpful in improving the product supply chain

but may miss important impacts that occur at

end of life.

1111

• Examines system-wide effects (cradle-to-grave)• Analyzes multi-media (air, water, waste, etc.)• Analyzes multi-attributes (all impacts)• Helps identify trade-offs among alternatives• Identifies opportunities for improvement• Supports environmental decision making• Provides the cornerstone of Sustainability

An Effective Life Cycle Assessment

12

ISO Standards for LCA

• ISO 14040 “Life Cycle Assessment – Principles and Framework” 1997

• ISO 14044 “Life Cycle Assessment – Requirements and Guidelines” 2006

* ISO – International Standards Organisation

ISO provides a standardized methodology for conducting multi-media, cradle-to-grave environmental assessments:

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ISO 14040

Goal andScope

Definition

InventoryAnalysis

ImpactAssessment

Interpretation

Life cycle assessment framework

1414

Midpoint and Endpoint ImpactsEmissions (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

immune system suppression

skin cancer cataracts

marine life damage

damage to materials like plastics

crop damage

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Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicators of Potential Impact

Impact Category Indicator MeasurementImpact Category Indicator Measurement• Global WarmingGlobal Warming kg COkg CO2 2 equivalentsequivalents• Ozone DepletionOzone Depletion CFC-11 equivalentsCFC-11 equivalents• AcidificationAcidification kg SOkg SO22 equivalents equivalents• Eutrophication Eutrophication kg POkg PO44

3-3- equivalents equivalents• Smog FormationSmog Formation kg Ethene equivalentskg Ethene equivalents• Human ToxicityHuman Toxicity HTx equivalentsHTx equivalents• Eco-toxicityEco-toxicity ETx equivalentsETx equivalents• WasteWaste kg Wastekg Waste• Resource Use Resource Use kg Scarce Resourceskg Scarce Resources• WaterWater mm33 Water Water• Land UseLand Use being developedbeing developed

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• Most scientifically defensible methodologies for use within the US.

• Consistent with US EPA regulations, policies and guidelines. Available for site-specific or generic site analyses.

• Models to the Midpoints.

• Useful for LCA, Benchmarking, Product/Process Comparisons, Setting Sustainability Metrics, etc.

Principal Investigator: Jane Bare, Sustainable Technology Division

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Nano Risk FrameworkED-DuPont Nano Partnership, 2007

Iterate

Assess, prioritize & generate data

Describe Material

& Application

Profile Lifecycle(s)

•Properties

•Hazards

•Exposure

Evaluate Risks

Assess Risk

Management

Decide, Document

& Act

Review & Adapt

The life cycle concept is used to systematically account for the nature of nanomaterials and their applications

and evaluate safety.

Nano Risk Framework ED-DuPont Nano Partnership, 2007

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Classical Risk Assessment &Life Cycle Risk Assessment

• “Classical” Risk Assessment characterizes the nature and magnitude of health risks to humans and the environment from potential chemical contaminants and other stressors.

• Comprehensive Environmental Assessment (CEA)

– Integrates Life Cycle Thinking and Risk Assessment.– Identifies potential releases and risk at points along the

life cycle.–Focuses on a select chemical or stressor. –CEA is not an LCA.

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Scaling Up to National Production Levels

• A clearly defined goal for an LCA:– Determines the scope of the study– Sets the boundaries and scale– Identifies the product or process function– Sets the Functional Unit – Defines the level of data detail & quality

• Basing the functional unit on potential market share rather on a single product will be result in more apparent impacts, such as resource use.

20

Life Cycle Thinking

At times, there is confusion between

LCA and other Life Cycle Based Approaches.

Life Cycle Based Approaches use the life cycle concept to view a product system from cradle to grave but limit

the study to a pre-determined area of concern, such as:

Energy Use

Global Climate Change

Material Use

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Life Cycle Management

Technical Feasibility

EnvironmentalImpacts (LCA) Costs ($)

IntegratedDecision-Making

Societal Benefits

Risk Analysis

Viability

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Suggested Reading

• Curran, M.A. (ed.) (1996) Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-015063-X.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA (2006). Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, EPA/600/R-06/060, available on-line,

www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/lcaccess.• Horne R, Grant T, and Verghese K. (2009). Life Cycle Assessment:

Principles, Practice and Prospects. ISBN: 9780643094529; 160PP; CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

• Guinee, J., Ed. (2001). Life Cycle Assessment: An Operational Guide to the ISO Standards.

• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, SETAC (1990). A Technical Framework for Life Cycle Assessments. J Fava, R Denison, B

Jones, MA Curran, B Vigon, S Sulke, and J Barnum (eds), 152 pages.• Curran, M. A. (2008). Human Ecology: Life Cycle Assessment. 8 PP;

Encyclopedia of Ecology, Five-Volume Set, ISBN-13: 978-0-444-52033-3; ISBN-10: 0-444-52033-3; Elsevier.

• ISO 14040 (2006). Environmental Management – LCA – Principles and Framework. International Standards Organization, Geneve, Switzerland.