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Lecture 9 :
Life-Cycle Assessment
PowerPoint® Slides
by Dr Lai MK
Learning Objectives
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Product life cycle from the raw materials
(Cradle) to disposal (Grave).
Cradle-to-grave
A term used in life-cycle analysis to describe the entire life of a
material or product up to the point of disposal
Cradle-to-Cradle
A model of industrial systems in which material flows cyclically in
appropriate, continuous biological or technical nutrient cycles. All
waste materials are productively re-incorporated into new
production and use phases, i.e. “waste equals food.”
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Total Materials Cycle
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1. Raw Materials Processing
extracted from their natural earthly habitats by mining, drilling,
harvesting, etc. Raw materials are then purified, refined, and
converted into bulk forms such as metals, cements, petroleum,
rubber, fibers, etc
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3. Product design, manufacture, assembly
further shaped, treated, and assembled into products, devices,
and appliances ready for the consumer
4. Waste
consumer purchases these products and uses them until they
wear out or become obsolete, and are discarded.
Either reuse/recycle and re-enters materials cycle or disposed
of as waste
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Consideration is given to the cradle-to-grave environmental
assessment of the product, from material extraction to product
manufacture to product use, and, finally, to recycling and disposal
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Inputs
1. Resources
earth resources are finite and requires more effective utilization
of these resources relative to this materials cycle
2. Energy
Energy must be supplied at each cycle stage and is a resource
that is limited in supply
measures must be taken to conserve it
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Outputs
The final product should be designed such that any impact on the
environment is minimal and at the end of its life that provision to be
made for recycling of its component materials or it should be
biodegradable.
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Life Cycle Assessment Technical Framework
i) Inventory,
ii) Impact and
iii) Improvement analyses
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Components in LCA
4 steps in life-cycle assessment:
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Stages of a Life Cycle
1. Raw materials acquisition – removal of raw materials and energy
resources from earth. Include transportation from point of
acquisition to point of processing
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Recycling process
Advantages
1. Obviates the need to extract raw materials from the earth
conserves natural resources and eliminates any associated
ecological impact from the extraction phase
2. Less energy required
approx. 28 times as much energy is required to refine natural
aluminum ores than to recycle aluminum beverage can scrap
Disadvantages
1. Manufacturing cost is normally greater for a “green” product
dilemma of this potential economic-environmental trade-off
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Example – LCA of Aluminum
•Excavating •Ore
•Aluminium
bauxite ore processing •Aluminium
stock
•(Aluminium (Smelting products
(ingot)
hydroxide) process)
•Recycling
used
products
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Example – LCA of Aluminum and Recycling
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Example – LCA of Aluminum and Recycling
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