Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) exam study guide fully solved & verified for accuracy 2024

glass recyclable, but not economically incentivized to recycle it used for alternate daily cover on top of landfills to reduce air pollution Life Cycle Assessment compilation and evaluation of inputs, outputs, and environmental impacts through the full life cycle of a product LCA uses product or project development and improvement strategic planning public policy making marketing and eco-declarations LCA started 1970s to monitor energy use of a product emissions and raw materials added to LCA later International Organization of Standards (ISO) creates standards for industry ISO cert. for LCA ISO standards have to be purchased, putting a burden on small businesses how to optimize product life cycle reuse remanufacture closed-loop recycling minimize treatment and disposal components of an LCA goal and scope definition: what depth and accuracy required, what will decision criteria be?, time scale, geographic scale inventory analysis: process tree including function, functional unit, boundaries, data, assumptions, limitations impact assessment: environmental, social, economic (emissions translated into environmental effects) interpretation: ways to reduce impacts, improve system functional unit gives the function a number value inputs energy, materials, labor outputs products (electricity, materials, good, services) wastes emissions co-products problems with LCA insufficient accurate info can defy laws of thermodynamics easy to overextrapolate bleach byproducts formaldehyde and dioxins environmental impact categories global warming potential abiotic depletion human toxicity potential land use eutrophication (phosphorus in soaps) acidification (caused by pollution from fuels) 3 spheres technosphere ecosphere valuesphere LCAs used in design process after the fact problems with LCAs abstract functional unit impact categorization is difficult no natl/global accounting or standardized systems across industries complexity and lack of solid data LCAs are static while product systems are dynamic ISO mandates one LCA for every product you produce plastic bags plastic from oil or natural gas polyethylene high density polyethylene biodegradable (compostable in industrial compostor US uses 100 bill per yer, equating to 12 million barrels of oil cheap to make, use less space, so easier to transport contribute less greenhouse gases than paper bags 1-3% are recycled paper bags lots of greenhouse gases more chemicals used in the production of paper bags than in plastic bags won't degrade well in modern landfills can be recycled use two orders of magnitude more water to produce than plastic bags 10-15% are recycled