lecture: advanced environmental assessments - eth … · · 2017-01-19lecture: advanced...

| | www.ifu.ethz.ch/ESD

Introduction and Overview

19.01.2017 Stefanie Hellweg 1

Lecture:

Advanced Environmental Assessments


Organization and Learning goals

Overview LCA and RA methodology

Overview of class topics

Case Studies

19.01.2017 Advanced Environmental Assessment: Introduction and Overview 2

Introduction


Language: English

Lecturers: Rolf Frischknecht, Stefanie Hellweg

Lectures and short exercises

Literature: mainly Journal Papers. Literature and lecture slides will be

made available on

http://www.esd.ifu.ethz.ch/studium/lectures/2016/master-

studies/advanced-environmental--social-and-economic-

assessment.html (in general 3 days prior to the lecture); no „Skript“ as

we are discussing research topics (which change quickly)

No handouts

Basic knowledge about LCA methodology is prerequisite of the class


Organization

http://www.esd.ifu.ethz.ch/studium/lectures/2016/master-studies/advanced-environmental--social-and-economic-assessment.html














If you know German: “Skript Oekologische Systemanalyse”: https://www.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/baug/ifu/eco-systems-design-

dam/documents/lectures/2016/bachelor/ecological-systems-

analysis/Gesamtskript_Feb29_2016.pdf

If you do not know German:

O. Jolliet et al. (2016). Environmental Life Cycle

Assessment. CRC Press, Boca Raton - London - New York.

ISBN 978-1-4398-8766-0 (Chapters 2-5.2)


Background reading if you have not studied

LCA in the Bachelor course

https://www.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/baug/ifu/eco-systems-design-dam/documents/lectures/2016/bachelor/ecological-systems-analysis/Gesamtskript_Feb29_2016.pdf















Module on Ecological Systems Design (ESD)

1. Advanced Environmental, Social and Economic Assessments, 102-0307-01L , A. E. Braunschweig, S. Hellweg, R. Frischknecht, 5 cts, autumn

2. Prospective Environmental Assessments, 102-0348-00L, S. Hellweg, A. Spörri, M. A. Streicher-Porte, 3 cts, spring

Lab session I and II (Software lab + exercise, Stephan Pfister)

- Lab 1 (software lab) is mandatory for all students with module ESD: 102-0317-03L, 1 ct, autumn

- Students with profiles RM and UWM take lab 2 integrated in computer lab 102-0527-00L/102-0528-00L, autumn

- All other students (without profile RM and UWM) can optionally take lab 2, enrolling in 102-0317-04L, 2 cts, autumn


Environmental Engineering students

http://www.vvz.ethz.ch/Vorlesungsverzeichnis/lerneinheitPre.do?lerneinheitId=79258&semkez=2012W&lang=de

http://www.vvz.ethz.ch/Vorlesungsverzeichnis/lerneinheitPre.do?lerneinheitId=79258&semkez=2012W&lang=de

http://www.vvz.ethz.ch/Vorlesungsverzeichnis/dozentPre.do?dozide=10032639&ansicht=1&semkez=2012W&lang=de






http://www.vvz.ethz.ch/Vorlesungsverzeichnis/dozentPre.do?dozide=10005239&semkez=2012S&lang=de








You can take all parts of the class (or a sub-selection of those):

102-0317-00L Advanced Environmental Assessments (3 cts)

102-0327-01L Implementation of Environmental and other Sustainability

Goals (2 cts)

Both labs 102-0317-03L and 102-0317-04L (1 + 2 cts) only if you also

take 102-0317-00L; prerequisite for lab 2 is enrollment in lab 1

If you are only taking the course in Advanced Environmental Assessment, but

want to visit single software labs without getting credit, contact Stephan Pfister 1

week before exercise: [email protected]


Non-Environmental-Engineering students

mailto:[email protected]


• Oral exam in exam session for Advanced Environmental, Social and

Economic (1 hour in total – 30 min preparation, 30 minutes oral exam);

• for Advanced Environmental Assessment 40 minutes (20 min preparation, 20

minutes oral exam)


Exams


Date Theme Lecturer

22.09.2016 1. Introduction and overview of lecture topics

2. Case Studies

SH

29.09.2016 Data quality and uncertainties SH

06.10.2016 Input/output analysis Stephan

Pfister

13.10.2016 Allocation approaches in LCA to model multi-output processes and

recycling

RF

20.10.2016 Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA)

Judit Lienert

27.10.2016 LCA and decision support

RF

03.11.2016 New developments in LCIA I SH

10.11.2016 New developments in LCIA II SH

17.11.2016 Workplace and indoor exposure SH

24.11.2016 Expert talk: Risk assessment Georg Geisler

01.12.2016 Transparency in LCA / Critical Reviews RF

08.12.2016 LCA and optimization SH, Carl

Vadenbo

15.12.2016

Subjectivity in LCA RF

22.12.2016 Overarching case study, Synthesis, outlook SH, all

19.01.2017 Advanced Environmental Assessment: Introduction and Overview

8

Organization main lecture


• Companies and policy makers are under pressure to assess and reduce their environmental impacts

• Environmental assessment tools help to quantify risks and impacts and thus help to pinpoint environmental hotspots and set priorities

• Support corporate environmental decision making (product stewardship, supply chain management, process optimization, marketing, strategic decisions e.g. about product portfolio)

• Prospective assessment: identify risks and environmental problems before they occur (e.g. chemical risk assessment, technology assessment)

• Support policy making (e.g. for design of sustainable consumption and production policies)

• Identify tradeoffs and avoid burden shifting

• …


Why environmental assessments?


1. Ability to judge the

• scientific quality and reliability of environmental assessments

• appropriateness of inventory data and modeling, and

• adequacy of life cycle impact assessment models and factors

2. Knowledge about the current state of the scientific discussion and

new research developments

3. Ability to properly plan, conduct and interpret environmental

assessment studies. Knowledge of how to use environmental

assessment tools as a decision support tool for companies, public

authorities, and consumers

Main topic: Life Cycle Assessment, but also bits of Risk

Assessment


Learning goals





Case Studies


Introduction

| | www.ifu.ethz.ch/ESD 19.01.2017 Advanced Environmental Assessment: Introduction and Overview 13

LCA is a systematic method for analyzing environmental impacts of

products, processes and services over the entire life cycle


• International value chains increase in complexity and have global

environmental impacts.

• LCA aims to track these impacts and assess them from a systems

perspective.

• The Goal is to identify strategies for improvement without burden shifting.


Global value chains

Use Recycling

Reuse

Disposal

Production ?

?

?

Resources

Emissions

Resource Extraction

Example: Life cycle of an aluminum can


LCA is a suitable tool for

a) Identifying improvement potentials in the life cycle of

products / processes / activities

b) Comparison of environmental impacts of various

products / processes / activities with the same function


Application area


1.Definition of goal and scope • What is the purpose of the LCA?

• Who is the intended audience?

• What are the systems under study and what are their functions?

• What are the underlying assumptions / limitations?

2. Inventory analysis • What are the relevant emissions and resources the system(s)

produce or consume?

• How are these inputs and outputs allocated to the functions of the

systems?

3. Impact assessment • Which impact categories are considered and which models are used?

• What environmental impacts are caused by the emissions and the

use of resources from the system(s)?

• How is aggregation performed?

4. Interpretation • What are the

conclusions?

• How reliable and

sensitive are the

results?

• What are the re-

commendations?


• Purpose of study

– Comparison, ecodesign, internal, external

• Define «functional unit»:

– What is the function of the system / service to the

consumer?

– Example: packing 1 liter of milk


Goal & scope: main points (I)


• Draw system boundaries

– What environmental aspects are included

– What processes are excluded -> why?

• Define time, geographical and technological coverage

– For what situation is the study valid?

• Critical review and other procedural aspects

– Independent critical review required for publication based on ISO

14040


Goal & scope: main points (II)







produce or consume?


systems?






conclusions?


sensitive are the

results?


commendations?


Inventory analyis (LCI)

Data collection of unit processes (parts of the life cycle);

Unit processes within Flowchart


Inventory databases contain inventory data on a large

number of basic processes, thereby facilitating significantly

LCA studies


Inventory database developments

Computer lab

Calm down, I can

do this. Why don‘t

you just take a

brake…

…







produce or consume?


systems?






conclusions?


sensitive are the

results?


commendations?


Inventory Analysis

Emission/ Unit Compar- Amount per

Resource tement funct. unit

CO2 kg air 0.5

CH4 kg air 1.5

SOx kg air 1.0

NOx kg air 0.5

Cd2+ kg water 0.0001

Fe kg soil 0.5

...

Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Climate change

Emission Characteri- Ref.unit

zation factor CO2

CO2 1 0.5

CH4 23 34.5

Sum 35.0

Acidification SOx

SOx 1 1

NOx 0.7 0.35

Sum 1.35

Human Toxicity 1,4 Dichlor-

benzol

NOx 1.4 0.065

Cd2+ 23 0.00023

Sum 0.35023


Impact categories and safeguard subjects

Emissions (to air,

water and soil)

Resource

extraction

Ozone depletion

Climate change

Photochemical

ozone creation

PM health impacts

Human toxic

effects

Ionizing radiation

Ecotoxic effects

Eutrophication

Acidification

Land impacts

Water impacts

Resource depletion

Noise

Seabed impacts

…

Environmental

interventions

(LCI)

Damage

categories

Impact

categories* Weighted

impact/damage**

Weighted score

Human Health

Ecosystem

quality

Natural

resources

Ecosystem

services

Socio-economic

asssets

Cultural heritage

Natural heritage

UNEP/SEATC

Life Cycle

Initiative, 2016








produce or consume?


systems?






conclusions?


sensitive are the

results?


commendations?


Application examples

Picture source:

Science 344, p.

1109-1112


Regional LCA (e.g. nations)

Picture source:

Science 344, p.

1109-1112


Example domestic supply use table (in mio

USD)

Slide S. Pfister


Example domestic I/O table (normalized)

Slide S. Pfister

Matrix

to be used

like an

LCA

inventory

matrix (A)

-> calculate

Leontief

inverse


E.g. Based on GTAP 8 for 2001, 2004 and 2007

129 regions

57 economic sectors


Multi-region input-output analysis

Slide S. Pfister


Typically only a few extensions are covered:

Greenhousegas (GHG) emissions

Some toxic emissions

Land use

Water consumption

Flows quantified per dollar of sector output (average).


Environmental extension

Slide S. Pfister


Example 1: CO2 embodied in international trade

(Peters & Hertwich 2008)


On average 12 t CO2-eq. per capita and year (Jungbluth

et al. 2011)


Example 2: Swiss consumption


Consumer/lifestyle LCA


Impacts of housing, land-based mobility and in-

house food consumption per person and year in

a Swiss municipality

PhD thesis Dominik Saner, 2013


Product-level LCA

Picture source:

Science 344, p.

1109-1112


Bachelor thesis of Julia Baumann

LCA OF A RADIO SHOW



Daily use of media


• Identify activities with high environmental

impact

• Recommendations for efficient reduction of

impacts

• Comparison of Internet radio with

conventional radio (UKW)


Goals

Baumann 2009


Functional Unit

Baumann 2009


System boundaries

Baumann 2009


Approach and data collection

Visit radio studio

Literature review

Goal and scope definition

Elaborate questionnaire and interview people

Write thesis in Studio Basel

Journalists Secretariat Director buildings Electrician Sound technician Webmaster Press department

Daily work, use of electric devices, etc.

Traveling expenses

Use of electricity, heat, water, waste generation

Measuring specific electricity demand

Information about recording studios

Providing Podcast; number of listeners

Information about commercials and media work Baumann 2009


Follow-up question: What happens to the sound

signal after leaving the studio? How much

electricity is needed?

Baumann 2009

Operation of broadcasting station

Transmission from Studio Basel to Zurich


Example results

Baumann 2009

Electricity demand radios

Production of radios

transmission

Production of radio show


Listening to a podcast on a home computer has the

biggest environmental impact

Listening to a Podcast on a MP3-Player is comparable to

radio listening

When using the radio (UKW), the radios at home

(electricity use, production) are the most relevant

parts of the system


Results

Baumann 2009


Listen to radio show on the radio (UKW) or on MP3-

Player

Use energy efficient radio devices and avoid standby

mode

During the production of the show …

… use flight transport as little as possible or use

train instead


Recommendations

Baumann 2009


• Study performed for Food Retailer

• Used in purchasing decisions

• May be used for ecological marketing in the future

• Consumer information


Example: food consumption


28 vegetables and fruits

29 countries of origin

Open field and greenhouse production

Background data for transport, energy, fertilizer, pesticide

production etc. from ecoinvent v2.01 / SimaPro 7

Functional unit: 1 kg of vegetable or fruit at the point of

sale (fresh matter)


Scope

Stössel 2009


System boundaries

Stössel et al

| | www.ifu.ethz.ch/ESD 19.01.2017 50

Carbon Footprint of Coop’s vegetables/fruits (total sales)

Stössel F, Juraske R, Pfister S; Hellweg S, Life Cycle Inventory and Carbon and Water FoodPrint of Fruits and Vegetables:

Application to a Swiss Retailer, Environ. Sci. Technol. , 3253-3262, 2012

| | www.ifu.ethz.ch/ESD 19.01.2017 51

Carbon Footprint of Coop’s vegetables/fruits (per kg)

Stössel F, Juraske R, Pfister S; Hellweg S, Life Cycle Inventory and Carbon and Water FoodPrint of Fruits and Vegetables:

Application to a Swiss Retailer, Environ. Sci. Technol. , 3253-3262, 2012


Carbon footprint of asparagus

Stössel et al, submitted


Carbon footprint of cucumbers

Stössel et al, submitted


Carbon footprint per person and year in a Swiss

municipality

consumption

of meat and

dairy products

decisive


Impact categories and safeguard subjects

Emissions (to air,

water and soil)

Resource

extraction

Ozone depletion

Climate change

Photochemical

ozone creation

PM health impacts

Human toxic

effects

Ionizing radiation

Ecotoxic effects

Eutrophication

Acidification

Land impacts

Water impacts

Resource depletion

Noise

Seabed impacts

…

Environmental

interventions

(LCI)

Damage

categories

Impact

categories* Weighted

impact/damage**

Weighted score

Human Health

Ecosystem

quality

Natural resources

Ecosystem

services

Socio-economic

asssets

Cultural heritage

Natural heritage

UNEP/SEATC

Life Cycle

Initiative, 2016


Ecotoxicity

Goal and

scope

definition

Inventory

analysis

Impact

assessment

Interpretation

LCA framework

Risk assessment

RQ = PEC/PNEC

Exposure-based

hazard indicators: persistence, range,

(bioaccumulation)

Effect-based

hazard indicators: bioaccumulation, toxicity

Exposure assessment:

Predicted Environmental

Concentration PEC

Hazard assessment

Effect assessment:

Predicted No Effect

Concentration PNEC

Hazard identification

RQ-

based


Ecotoxicological assessment in

Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)


Example: pesticides

Impacts of production and emission of Plant Growth Regulators

O

O

O

O

OH

trinexapac-ethyl chlorocholinechloride

Modern (90’s) Old-fashioned (60’s)

Fate: DT50(soil)

Effect: ADI

Activity: Dose

32 d

0.05 mg kg-1 d-1

1 kg ha-1

0.1 d

0.32 mg kg-1 d-1

0.1 kg ha-1

Molecular structure

Generation

activeingredient

N ClCl

winter wheat winter wheatMostly used in





Case Studies


Introduction


LCA results are uncertain

Large amounts of process and emission/resource-use data

Complex environmental cause-effect chains

System assumptions

Methods for uncertainty analysis

Case study


Data quality and uncertainty

Computer lab

0.01

0.1

1

10

100

median

75th

25th

95th

5th

97.5th

2.5th

percentiles


How to react to the fact that each product’s life cycle

comprises “the whole world”?

Introduction into Input-Output (I/O) Analysis

Environmental I/O-LCA

Hybrid LCA methods

Applications - Environmental impacts of Swiss

consumption and production


Input/Output Analysis


Allocation in multioutput processes and

recycling

How to find a fair or competitive attribution of environmental

impacts to different products of one process?

Who gets the environmental credits of recycling?


Decision theory

Method to analyze decision options

Considers a variety of criteria


Multi-criteria analysis

Computer lab


LCA and decision support

Addresses the question, how to fit the LCA model to a decision situation

Introduction into attributional, consequential and decisional LCA models

Differences and challenges

“From a purely statistical viewpoint”, the poet said, “being a non-smoker, I could smoke for about seven years longer than a smoker”.


New developments in LCIA

CO2 CH4

Framework and safeguard subjects, “measuring units”

New developments in selected impact categories


Site dependent LCI and LCIA

Use of GIS in LCA

Case study




Concepts to consider indoor and workplace exposure to

chemicals and particles

Comparison of health effects from indoor exposure and

from outdoor exposure.


Workplace and indoor exposure


Risk assessment of chemicals

Expert talk (Syngenta)

Case studies


Hazard/risk assessment of chemicals

Computer lab


“But why don’t those who possess this learning

communicate it to all the people of God?” Nicholas of

Morimond asked. And William of Baskerville answered:

“Because not all the people of God are ready to accept so

many secrets, …”. U. Eco, The Name of the Rose

The balancing act between

scientific practice and industrial

knowhow protection


Data transparency


Models of OR commonly focused on identifying optimal

use of (constrained) resources, maximizing

profit/minimizing cost

LCA is (generally) “based on linear homogenous […]

models of human economic activity and of their effect on

the environment”.


Mathematical Optimization and LCA

Computer lab


Subjective elements and value judgments in LCA

Ways to deal with them

Where and how to identify manipulation and misuse


Subjectivity in LCA


Student exercise covering methodological issues

discussed in the lecture


Case studies


Class topics in the context of the LCA

framework

1.Definition of goal and scope

2. Inventory analysis

3. Impact assessment

4. Inter-

pretation

Uncertainties; data transparency; subjectivicty

Allocation; Consequential/marginal

LCA; hybrid LCA, site-dependency






Case Studies


Introduction


Goal: to reduce the environmental impacts and risks from

washing

Who could be interested

in this question?


Case Study: Laundry


System Boundary


Reducing laundry (e.g. washing less, buying cloths that can easily be cleaned, …)

Lowering washing temperature

Choice of detergent

Choice of washing techology

Reducing cloths that need to be dry-cleaned

Reduce ironing

Avoid dryers if possible

…

Construct scenarios and identify the most effective stategy

19.01.2017 77

How could the environmental impact of washing

be lowered?

0.00E+00

1.00E-01

2.00E-01

3.00E-01

4.00E-01

5.00E-01

6.00E-01

7.00E-01

8.00E-01

9.00E-01

powder -

20°C

liquid - 20°C powder -

40°C

liquid - 40°C powder -

60°C

liquid - 60°C

GW

P [

kg C

O2-e

q.]

Packaging end of

life

Wastewater

treatment

Use-Auxiliaries

Use-Transport

home

Retail-Storage

Retail-Transport

Production-

Foreground

Production-

Background


Type of uncertainty Example

Uncertainty due to choices Allocation methods, system boundaries,

which scenarios are considered?

Parameter uncertainty Substance / environmental properties of

detergent

Variability between objects/sources Energy use also depends on washing

machine

Temporal variability Weather conditions affect drying options

Spatial variability Electricity supply vary at different

locations


Lecture topics in the context of the case study –

Uncertainties


Lecture topics in the context of the case study -

Allocation

Example: Comparison of two allocation approaches



Consequential/marginal LCA

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

40°C

UCTE

20°C

UCTE

40°C

gas

20°C

gas

kg C

O2-e

qu p

er

washin

g load

Packaging endof lifeWastewatertreatmentUse

Retail-Storage

Retail-Transport

Production

Example:

Attributional LCA: electricity mix

Consequential LCA: assumption that power saving affects the construction

of a new gas power plant



Indoor exposure


Assess whether cleaning agent in the wastewater may lead to a risk

Cleaning agents in the wastewater may mix with other substances in

the wastewatertreatment plant, altering the toxic effect


Modelling the environmental fate and effects of

Chemicals

Site-dependency

• Toxic effect depends on background

concentration (specific for site)


Important in all stages of the analysis (documentation of washing

scenarios, system boundaries, reporting of emissions and resource uses,

allocation procedures, etc.)


Data Transparency

Subjectivity

e.g. Choices on scenarios considered, allocation approach, weighting

of impacts, etc.


Have a good semester start!!!

lecture: advanced environmental assessments - eth … · · 2017-01-19lecture: advanced...

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