Understanding the Application of life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Analyse Bio plastics

American Chemical Society ©2014

by

Dr Roya Khalil 2015


What is Sustainability? What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? Impact Categories Bioplastics and LCA Case Study Conclusions


Topics such as sustainable development, fossil and natural resources availability, global climate change and waste reduction are increasingly dominating political and industrial agendas Therefore, the relevance of the environmental

performance of processes, products and services in decision-making is rapidly growing


“The triple bottom line of sustainability” equates to Economic, social and environmental

Making products useful to markets + societal benefits + lower environmental impact Commitment to continuous improvement = result in a further reduction of the environmental footprint of today’s products, processes and raw materials used


The key measurement tool to assess products’ or services’ environmental impact: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Through LCA it is possible to account for all the environmental impacts associated with a product or service, covering all stages in a product’s life

It allows measurement of and reporting on current impacts, alternative scenarios and improvements achieved


What is Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)?


LCA provides data to allow better informed decisions, but as it is a complex tool, it needs careful and knowledgeable use.

Lifecycle – “Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition …to final disposal”

Life Cycle Assessment - "Compilation and evaluation of the inputs and outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle”

Source: ISO 14040


1970 1980 2000 1990

Energy Analysis

Greenhouse Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment

Carbon Foot printing


Enables the comparison of alternative pathways – product, system, policy Aims to avoid “burden shifting” “Identify and avoid …the shifting of a potential

environmental burden between life cycle stages or individual processes” (ISO 14040 standards)

Is a global assessment (impacts in all countries treated equally – notwithstanding biophysical differences which maybe taken into account) Works on a long time frame – typically greater than 100 years

Standardized LCA is independently peer reviewed.


Standardising Environmental Management, Life Cycle Assessment & Principles and Framework ISO 14040:2006 describes the principles and framework for life cycle assessment (LCA) including: definition of the goal and scope of the LCA,

the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase,

the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase,

the life cycle interpretation phase,

reporting and critical review of the LCA, limitations of the LCA

the relationship between the LCA phases, and conditions for use of value choices and optional elements

Raw Material Extraction

Material Processing

Manufacturing

Part Manufacturing

Packaging & Distribution

Product Use

End of life Disposal, Recycle,

Reuse

Life Cycle Assessment ‘’Cradle to Grave‘’ “Cradle to Cradle”

Transport b/w each process

Carbon dioxide Toxin Waste

Water Pollutant Nutrients

Soil Groundwat

er Mineral

Resources Energy

Resources Land Oxygen

Inte

ract

ion

betw

een

the

econ

omy

and

envi

ronm

ent


Saur, K. (2002), Workshop Conclusions, Paper presentation at DG Environment / EUROPEN LCA Workshop, Brussels, Available at http://www.europen.be/issues/lca/lcaworkshop.html, June 20.


Goal and scope

definition ISO 14041

Inventory analysis

ISO 14041

Impact

Assessment ISO 14042

Interpretation ISO 14043


Articulate the question

Develop scope to answer the question by – Establishing function units

for the study – Selecting relevant system

boundaries – Identifying indicators – Determining data

requirements


Describe the system in terms of interconnected unit operations

Collect data on environmental exchanges from each unit process

Sum the environmental exchanges across whole product system.


Calculate impact assessment indicators from inventory table.

Comparison of individual indicators.

Contribution of overall national emission loads.

Weighting of indicators.


Investigate why results are like they are.

Sensitivity analysis.

Are indicator models valid?

What may be missing from the system?


Functional Unit Smallest portion of a product

system for which data are collected when performing a life cycle assessment

Final product that a consumer use

Comparative materials should have same dimensions and weight

Product system Collection of materially and energetically connected unit processes which performs one or more defined functions.

System boundary The SB defines the unit processes to be included in the system to be modelled (ISO 14040)


Acquisition of materials

(through resource extraction or recycled sources)

Manufacturing, refining, and fabrication

Use by consumers

End-of-life disposition (incineration, landfill, composting, recycling/reuse)

A complete LCA assessment defines a system consisting of four general stages, each can be further broken down into sub stages:

Each involves the transport of materials within or between stages, and transportation has its own set of impacts.


• The selection of impact categories should reflect a comprehensive set of environmental issues related to the product system being studied, taking the goal and scope into consideration;

• The impact categories, category indicators and characterization models should be internationally accepted, i.e. based on an international agreement or approved by a competent international body


Global Warming Greenhouse Ozone depletion Resource depletion

Regional • Eco-toxicity • Human Toxicity

- Respiratory impacts organic non organic - Carcinogens

-Eutrophication • Acidification • Land use • Water use

Process based indicators

• Cumulative Energy Demand • Waste to Landfill •Recycling •Compostability •Biodegradation (Methane captured)


• Good science (relatively)

• High policy priority.

• Often tracks energy, so is a good proxy for many other industrially related impacts.

• Usually evaluated in kg CO2eq, although can be taken to endpoint of human health and ecosystem health damage


This is due to decreasing importance for LCA in developed countries - due to the Montreal Protocol reducing emission sources


For life cycle impact assessment of human and eco-toxicity - complex models are used to determine fate and damage caused by toxins


• Acidification is a result of acid raid rain, caused by release of protons in the terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems

• In the terrestrial ecosystem, the effects are seen in softwood forests (e.g. spruce) as inefficient growth and, as a final consequence, dieback of the forest

• The mechanism is, however, related more to land and crop management than SOx emissions

• Measured using the Acidification Potential (AP) using SO2 equivalents


Partitioning of toxin to determine potential impacts

• Aquatic – Marine • Aquatic – Freshwater • Terrestrial – Agricultural • Terrestrial – Industrial


• Some models stop at this point

• Damage models continue down the pathway to determine how these concentrations effect species populations in precent disappeared fraction of species


• Eutrophication of aquatic and nutrification of

terrestrial ecosystems is caused by surplus nitrogen, phosphorus, and degradable organic substances

• The measure is the Eutrophication Potential (EP), and is expressed as PO4 equivalents.

• There is a large contribution from airborne NOx, stormwater, waste water emissions, and from agricultural runoff.


• Consumption of non-living resources including minerals and fuels

• In the CML method - amount used over amount available (known deposits)

• The Eco-Indicator 99 method looks at additional energy required as mineral and fossil fuel stocks are depleted

• UNEP/SETAC working group are looking at the dispersive use of minerals as the primary measure of impact – focuses on loss from techno-sphere rather than the incorporation into the techno-sphere


• Photochemical ozone formation is caused by degradation of organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of light and nitrogen oxide (NOx)

• The photochemical ozone formation can be quantified by using photochemical ozone creation potentials (POCP) for organic compounds. POCPs for organic compounds are expressed as ethylene (C2H4) equivalents

• Winter smogs are based on emission of particles and sulphur oxides


• Measured in DALYs or Disability Adjusted Life Years – A WHO measure also used in health funding to classify death and disability

• Takes account length of time with disability and/or number of years life is shortened due to a specific cause


Models based on European science, and include the impact of land occupation and transformation on species through:

• Direct effects of excluding effected species

• Indirect effects from reducing and dissecting total area of habitats


The relatively new group of materials called bioplastics offers new opportunities to contribute to the sustainability debate.

A wide range of bioplastics is currently available on the market: • Based on different raw materials • Produced and processed using various technologies • Tailored to various applications • Recovered or disposed of through multiple waste

management systems


“THE” life cycle assessment of bioplastics does not exist. • LCA applies to specified products (goods and services), taking into

consideration their complete life cycle. The final conclusions about the environmental performance of bioplastic applications depend on many different parameters.

• Including the type of bioplastics used, the raw materials used, the production and conversion technology, the product, transport media and distances and the consumer use phase as well as the used waste collection and disposal or recycling system.

• There are no simple answers. It is not possible to make generalisations such as “bioplastics are better or worse than other materials”. Comparative studies can include bioplastics as an option in the same

application to analyse and make an informed decision.


• Renewability- Is this a biobased

biopolymer (renewable source of raw material ), if so;

• Biodegradability - What is the end of life for this final article produced, is biodegradable, compostable, both, recyclable?


• Renewable feedstock- an intrinsic reduced carbon depending on the amount of renewable carbon in the product

• Biobased plastics use renewable or biogenic carbon as a building block

• Biogenic carbon is captured from the atmosphere by plants during the growth process and converted into the required raw materials

• Also as important with any other raw material, analyse the resource consumption in extraction and production of raw material (e.g. Energy and water use in corn growing to extraction of starch and producing resin)


If raw material consumes resources in excess (heavy use of irrigation water and chemical fertilisers and pesticides in agricultural based products, the overall impact may not be very environmentally friendly.


• When the Bioplastic product is being incinerated at the end of its useful life, the biogenic carbon is returned to the atmosphere (cycled in a closed biogenic CO2 loop, referred to as being carbon-neutral). Therefore, the term “carbon-neutral” only refers to the biogenic carbon.

• Biodegradable and compostable products should disposed in recommended downstream route others benefits are not utilised and if landfilled may actually have adverse affect

• It is important to note whether a particular waste management infrastructure is available in the application region (e.g. Industrial compost if PLA is considered in an application)


If disposal after use waste management does not support the functionality of particular bioplastic - the environmental impact maybe adverse


In the following slides, examples are used to highlight the format of a LCA for educational purposes and material is adapted from a study conducted by Natureworks LLC for a comparison of materials in a beverage application. http://www.natureworksllc.com/~/media/The_Ingeo_Journey/EcoProfile_LCA/LCA/PEA_Cup_Lid_LCA_FullReport_ReviewStatement_121209_pdf.pdf

http://www.natureworksllc.com/~/media/The_Ingeo_Journey/EcoProfile_LCA/LCA/PEA_Cup_Lid_LCA_FullReport_ReviewStatement_121209_pdf.pdf




• functional unit is a beverage cup • PET, PP and Ingeo PLA are

materials to be studied and compared

• Different system boundaries are assessed

• Same impact categories are analysed

• Regional energy use and rating are used for each material

• Transportation of a system boundary highly impacts the LCA

Functional unit must always be the same in same application when comparing different materials in an LCA.

Weight of functional unit has a significant impact in the overall LCA study.


Important to consider is level of processes inclusion for all materials considered for a LCA study.


PLA derived from agricultural resource, the material extraction an processing consumes less non renewable energy compared to an oil rig, refinery and resin production.


PLA derived from agricultural resource contributes to carbon cycle positively and has lower impact on global warming.


PLA derived from agricultural resource shows higher water consumption due to irrigation.


PLA derived from agricultural resource contributes to eutrophication due to use of fertilisers and pesticides.


Consider: • All PLA are

composted • All PP and PET are

landfilled • Composting facility

is not factored for fertiliser production or methane gas capture

• Both PET and PP are recyclable polymers so all ending up in landfill is discounting PLA significantly


• PP shows better environmental performance than PET for all considered categories of interest

• Ingeo and PP show lower numbers for all scenarios for primary energy demand (PED) from non renewable resources, GWP and POCP than PET

• Final weight of cups and lids are an influential parameter. The contribution of the environmental impact of the cup is mainly influenced by the material of choice and weight as the efforts for manufacturing are within the same ballpark for all three materials and transportation via train is not important.


• Transportation via train, polymer pellets and cup/lids to distribution centre, is not significant and not influential for the material selection

• Transportation via truck to shops is not significant

• The impacts associated with landfill can be neglected. All three materials are considered to be inert in landfill operations. It is assumed that all three materials do not degrade in conventional landfill operations.


Contact details: Dr Roya Khalil [email protected] Mobile: +61438304101 (Australia)

mailto:[email protected]

Understanding the Application of life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Analyse Bio plastics

Environment

Transcript of Understanding the Application of life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Analyse Bio plastics