A First-year Introduction to Life Cycle AnalysisStephanie Farrell Rowan UniversityEduardo Cavanagh Glassboro, NJ USAMariano Savelski

Life Cycle Analysis

A tool used to evaluate the full range of environmental impacts a product’s life from cradle to grave

Energy and raw material consumption

Emissions

Other important considerations

Used to improve processes, support policy and provide a sound basis for informed decisions

Life Cycle Analysis

Valuable tool to engineers

Must be able to integrate LCA concepts with traditional science and mathematics skills

Increasing interest in introducing LCA into the engineering curriculum

LCA in the First Year

Developed an introduction to LCA for a first-year engineering course (Engineering Clinic)

Hands-on, project based course

Multidisciplinary – students from 4 Engineering majors

1 hr lecture plus 3 hr lab each week

24 students per section

Theme Biodiesel vs. Fossil

DieselInterest in Biodiesel

Reduce dependence on fossil fuels

Develop more environmentally friendly fuels from renewable energy sources

Increase industrial uses of agricultural products http://www.freewebs.com

Learning Objectives: Introduce the 4 Steps of

LCAStep 1: Goal Definition & Scope (ISO

14040)

Step 2: Inventory Analysis (ISO 14041)

Step 3: Impact Assessment (ISO 14042)

Step 4: Improvement Assessment / Interpretation (ISO 14043)

Learning Objectives

Source quantitative data and make best estimates when no information is given

Make logical assumptions that simplify the calculations yet maintain integrity of analysis

Develop a flow sheet to describe the process graphically

Evans et al. Education for Chemical Engineers, 3(2008), e57-e65

Step 1: Defining the goal and scope (ISO 14040)

The goal: What do you hope to achieve?

The scope: What are the boundaries of your system?

Step 1: Defining the Goal

What is the purpose of the study?To compare the overall environmental

impacts of biodiesel and dieselWhat is its application?

To change a process to reduce environmental impact

Step 1: Defining the Scope

The scope is defined by:The boundaries chosen for the process

The basis of comparison, e.g. amount produced

Is the production of useful byproducts considered?

What environmental impacts are considered and how they are calculated?

What data are needed?

Step 1: Scope

Boundaries -Cradle to Gate Raw materialsTransportationProcessingManufacturing

http://www.extension.org/pages/26614/life-cycle-analysis-

for-biofuels

Consider glycerin a useful byproductCredited to the

process

Step 2: Inventory analysis(ISO 14041)

Summary of all the inputs and outputs associated with the product or energy used (within boundaries)

Diesel (production) is in the Simapro® database

Biodiesel inventory based on student data for biodiesel production (from NVO and WVO)

Next slides show experiments

Step 2: Inventory Analysis(Production: Pre-treatment & Reaction)

Biodiesel

Glycerin

Biodiesel from New and Waste Vegetable Oil

Pretreatment

Transesterification reaction

VWO + MeOH Biodiesel + Glycerin

Alkalai catalyst (NaOH)

Step 2: Inventory Analysis

(Production: Purification)Purification

removes impurities that cause engine damage

3 water washes

1:2 volume ratio water: biodiesel

Washing Finished Product

Step 2: Inventory Assessment

(Biodiesel from WVO)Input/Output AmountInputs

Sodium hydroxide 50% (kg) 0.007

Used Vegetable Oil, pretreated (kg) 0.894

Electricity (kWh) 0.316

Methanol, at plant (kg) 0.158

Water, cooling, drinking (ml) 1500

Outputs (product)

Biodiesel (kg) 0.863

Output (avoided products)

Glycerin, from vegetable oil (kg) 0.094

Outputs (waste)

Wastewater, treatment, sewage from residence (ml)

1599

Step3: Impact Assessment(Production)

Simapro 7 – IMPACT 2002+

Scalar Impact per kg

0200400600800

100012001400160018002000

Non-renewable energy

Global warming

Land occupation

Terrestrial acid/nutri

Respiratory inorgan-ics

μP

t

Step 4: Interpretation and Improvement

Assessment How to improve process?

Target large impacts NVO – reduce land use (algae) WVO – reduce non-renewable energy

and CO2 emissions

Which process/product is better? Biodiesel outperforms fossil diesel and

NVO BD

Learning Outcomes

Gain in knowledge for ten concepts

Defi

ning

goa

l and

sco

peTh

e lif

e cy

cle

Defi

ning

the

goal

of L

CA

Choo

sing

sys

tem

bou

ndar

ies

Inve

ntor

y as

sess

men

t

Chal

leng

es to

inve

ntor

y as

sess

men

t

Impa

ct a

sses

smen

tSt

eps

of L

CA

Base

s of

com

paris

on fo

r im

pact

eva

lua.

..

Eval

uatio

n an

d in

terp

reta

tion

0

5

10

15

20

Pre-test

#

students

w/

corr

ect

answ

er

n=24

Learning Outcomes

> 60% overall gain in knowledgebetween pre-test and post-test

Pre-test Post-test0

102030405060708090

22

83.2

n = 24p < 1e-7

Summary/Conclusions

Hands-on, project-based Introduction to LCA for first-year students

Significant gain in knowledge related to LCA concepts

(Not shown) significant gain in knowledge of science and engineering (mass balances, reaction yield, phase equilibrium, etc.)

Acknowledgement

United States Department of Energy, EE0003113

Al-Farabi National Kazakh University (KazNU) students Balzhan Ashim Saltanat Kozbakarova Albina Belgibayeva

Production LCA

Simapro 7 Impact 2002+

Scalar impact per kg

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Resources

Climate Change

Ecosystem Quality

Human Health

μP

t

Step 2: Inventory Analysis

(Use) Mass emission Factor (kg emissions/kg fuel

consumed)

Comparing apples to oranges!

CO NO NO2 NOX0

0.0005

0.001

0.0015

0.002

0.0025

ME

F (

kg

/kg

fu

el)

CO20

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

Petrodiesel

Biodiesel

Step 2: Inventory Analysis

(Use) Energy emission Factor (kg emissions/MJ

produced)

Comparing apples to apples!

CO NO NO2 NOX0

0.001

0.002

0.003

0.004

0.005

0.006

0.007

0.008

0.009

0.01

EE

F (

kg

/MJ)

CO20

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Petrodiesel

Biodiesel