Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources - Cambridge Books Online Reference Title: References Reference Type: reference-list J. Diamond, Collapse – How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive (Viking Penguin, New York, 2005). G. S. R. E. J. S. E. M. A. J. de Swaan Aarons, H. van der Kooi, and K. D. J. N. R. A. G. C. M. I. H. H. R. E. E. D. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. B. H. E. E. R. E. N. E. D. E. E. G. G. G. S. E. M. L. G. I. M. Y. G. M. H. E. T. A. A. J. E. J. H. I. F. S. G. H. J. R. M. A. E. J. E. D. E. L. G. J. T. R. R. E. J. S. L. R. E. W. J. R. N. J. Reference Title: Additional Readings Reference Type: further-reading A. R. N. P. B. A. J. I. H.T. E. R. A. Reference Type: notes J. I. Z. F. J. T. G. J. B. M. M. J. International Organization for Standardization, Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, 1998). 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Synthesis (Island Press, Washington, D.C., 2005). E. E. F. R. J. R. G. A. S. C. B. D. J. A.
How Green Is That Product? An Introduction to Life Cycle Environmental Assessment About the Course Paper or plastic? Local or imported food? Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a fundamental method for assessing the environmental impacts of products and technologies from a "cradle to grave" systems perspective. The course will provide an introduction to LCA methods and applications. Course Syllabus - The basics of energy and mass flows and exchanges with the environment - Working with unit processes and unit process inventory data- Study design: goal definition, system boundaries, and functional units - Compiling the data: life-cycle inventory methods (process-based and input-output methods) - Understanding impacts: life-cycle impact analysis for land, air, water, and health - Building a simple LCA model using spreadsheet software- Results interpretation and reporting Recommended Background Suggested Readings All required readings will be publicly available with links posted on the course website. Will I get a Statement of Accomplishment after completing this class? Yes.
Manufacturing inefficiency Modern manufacturing methods are spectacularly inefficient in their use of energy and materials, according to a detailed MIT analysis of the energy use of 20 major manufacturing processes. Overall, new manufacturing systems are anywhere from 1,000 to one million times bigger consumers of energy, per pound of output, than more traditional industries. In short, pound for pound, making microchips uses up orders of magnitude more energy than making manhole covers. At first glance, it may seem strange to make comparisons between such widely disparate processes as metal casting and chip making. "The seemingly extravagant use of materials and energy resources by many newer manufacturing processes is alarming and needs to be addressed alongside claims of improved sustainability from products manufactured by these means," Gutowksi and his colleagues say in their conclusion to the study, which was recently published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T).
Energy, Sustainability, and Life Cycle Assessment Course Summary | Learning Objectives | Who Should Attend | Program Outline | Schedule | Participants' Comments | About the Lecturers | Location | Links & Resources | Updates Course Summary The purpose of this class is to address the issues of sustainability and relate them to an engineering perspective. First, we review the concept of sustainability from several points of view including economics, ecology, and business. Energy resources analysis, energy and exergy flows, balances, efficiencies, primary energy use, energy return on investment, net energy analysis, and renewable energy – all from a thermodynamic perspective. The class uses our recent book Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resources (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and builds on these topics from a solid basis. Content Fundamentals: Core concepts, understandings and tools (30%) Latest Developments: Recent advances and future trends (25%) Industry Applications: Linking theory and real-world (30%) Delivery Methods Level
Life Cycle Assessment The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines life cycle assessment (LCA) as the following: "Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle" (ISO 14040: 1997)[1]. Among the tools that life cycle management (LCM) offers, LCA, or environmental balance, is one of the most comprehensive and high-performance methods. The main goal of the method is to lessen the environmental impacts of products and services by guiding the decision-making process. Regulated by the ISO 14040 series[2] standards, LCA consists in four distinct phases: The following figure illustrates the life cycle assessment framework as described by ISO. Due to time and cost constraints, variants of the LCA method have been formulated according to the guideline principles established by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). In practice, LCAs are mainly used for (Labouze et al., 1996):
UNEP DTIE SCP Branch The 10YFP adopted at Rio+20 The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) adopted the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP). This is a concrete and operational outcome that responds to the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) which calls to all stakeholders to “Encourage and promote the development of a 10-year framework of programmes (10YFP) in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems...”. Rio+20 Outcome Document "The Future we Want". The Resolution A/CONF.216/5 - A 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns is available for download in 6 languages: [Arabic] [Chinese] [English] [French] [Russian] [Spanish] More information is available at the UNCSD2012 website English (click here) French (click here) Archives
LBP GaBi | Startseite Die Abteilung Ganzheitliche Bilanzierung wurde 1989 am Institut für Kunststoffprüfung und Kunststoffkunde (IKP) an der Universität Stuttgart gegründet. Seit 2006 ist sie am Lehrstuhl für Bauphysik (LBP) der Universität Stuttgart angesiedelt. Arbeitsschwerpunkt der Abteilung ist die Ganzheitliche Bilanzierung und Analyse von Produkten, Prozessen und Dienstleistungen unter ökologischen, ökonomischen, sozialen und technischen Gesichtspunkten zur Entscheidungsunterstützung über den gesamten Lebensweg. Forschungsinhalte sind hierbei Die Erarbeitung von Methoden der Sachbilanzierung, Wirkungsabschätzung und Integration sozialer Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung ist hierbei stark international ausgerichtet. In Erweiterung der Ökobilanz nach DIN EN ISO 14040/14044 kann die Ganzheitliche Bilanzierung auch die Kostenseite über den Lebenszyklus mit einbeziehen und gleicht technische Eigenschaften der untersuchten Produkte und Prozesssysteme ab. Lernen Sie uns persönlich kennen
Sustainability | Sustainability In these modules you will examine sustainability and the environment, drawing on examples from the automotive, construction and steel industries. You will then move onto an understanding and appreciation of the principles of life cycle thinking and life cycle assessment (LCA) enabling you to conduct some relatively simple LCAs. It is hoped that this will help you with decision-making in your work and private life. Sustainability is intrinsic to both Processing and Applications of steel. After studying what Sustainability means, the causes and consequences of environmental impacts, the recyclability of steel and the contribution steel makes to sustainable development, the principles of life cycle thinking (cradle to grave concepts) are introduced. The methodology for conducting a Life Cycle Assessment is described, with examples drawn from automotive, construction and steel industries. Roll over the links to see a description of each individual module.
Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment | Introduction to Environmental Life Cycle Assessment In the previous sections you have learnt about Sustainability and about environmental impact categories and discovered the basic idea of Life Cycle Thinking. The products and processes you deal with at work and in your personal life affect the environment, adversely or beneficial. But how can you ensure that you are doing the best possible job in realizing the benefits of technology with minimal environmental damage? A tool that helps you with your decision making in seeking to achieve this balance is Life Cycle Assessment. In principle, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a way of quantifying the diverse effects on the environment caused by products throughout their entire life cycle. After completing this section, you should be able to:
Life-cycle assessment Life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle-to-grave analysis)[1] is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from-cradle-to-grave (i.e., from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling). LCAs can help avoid a narrow outlook on environmental concerns by: Compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases;Evaluating the potential impacts associated with identified inputs and releases;Interpreting the results to help make a more informed decision.[2] Life Cycle Assessment Overview Goals and purpose[edit] The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental effects assignable to products and services in order to improve processes, support policy and provide a sound basis for informed decisions.[3] There are two main types of LCA. Four main phases[edit]
Life Cycle Assessment Ein Life Cycle Assessment (LCA, deutsch Lebenszyklusanalyse, auch bekannt als Ökobilanz) ist eine systematische Analyse der Umweltwirkungen von Produkten während des gesamten Lebensweges (from cradle to grave ‚von der Wiege bis zur Bahre‘) oder bis zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt der Verarbeitung (from cradle to factory gate ‚von der Wiege bis zum Fabriktor‘). Unterscheidung[Bearbeiten] Allgemein wird unterschieden zwischen: einer Ökobilanz, die den Umweltaspekt eines einzelnen Produkts berücksichtigt,einer vergleichenden Ökobilanz, die eine Gegenüberstellung mehrerer Produkte verfolgt, sowieeiner ganzheitlichen Bilanzierung, die wirtschaftliche, technische und/oder soziale Aspekte mit einbezieht. Mit der Norm ISO 14040 ist der Begriff Ökobilanz zwar ausschließlich auf produktbezogene Ökobilanzen anwendbar. Im betriebswirtschaftlichen Umfeld kann die Ökobilanz zu den ökologieorientierten Planungsinstrumenten des Controlling gezählt werden. Zweck[Bearbeiten] Aufbau[Bearbeiten] Am 30.
Applications of life cycle assessment to NatureWorks™ polylactide (PLA) production Abstract NatureWorks™ polylactide (PLA)1 is a versatile polymer produced by Cargill Dow LLC. Cargill Dow is building a global platform of sustainable polymers and chemicals entirely made from renewable resources. Cargill Dow's business philosophy is explained including the role of life cycle assessment (LCA), a tool used for measuring environmental sustainability and identifying environmental performance-improvement objectives. The paper gives an overview of applications of LCA to PLA production and provides insight into how they are utilized. Keywords Cargill Dow; Sustainability; Life cycle assessment (LCA); Eco-profile; NatureWorks; Polylactide (PLA); Polylactic acid
Rethinking recycled fiber: using facts and science to combat common myths - The Environmental Quotient