LCA/LCI Examples 2.83/2.813 Manufacturing End of Life Mining Use Phase T. Gutowski
Examples 1. Plug-in Hybrid Cars 2. Light weighting Conventional ICE 3. Alternative PV Technologies 4. Paper Vs Plastics 5. Paper Vs Silicon 6. Travel Vs Teleconferencing
Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles: Implications for Policy Constantine Samaras, and Kyle Meisterling Environ. Sci. Technol. , 2008 , 42 (9), 3170-3176 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on January 21, 2009 • DOI: 10.1021/es702178s • Publication Date (Web): 05 April 2008 Conventional Vehicle Hybrid Electric Vehicle
http://www.hybridcars.com/plug-in-hybrid-cars Accessed Feb 27, 2011
GM VOLT plug-in hybrid On-line Quote Feb 26, 2011
GM Volt Samaras, and Meisterling, 2008
Toyota plug-in hybrid concept car Samaras, and Meisterling, 2008
Eco - Audit: Light weight ICE Vehicle “ Eco-Audit ” Ashby 2009
Light-weighting ICE 8.67 -6.10 2.57 Savings of About 30% Ashby 2009
Vehicle Wt Vs MJ/km Ashby 2009
GM Volt Light weight Vehicle ~189 CO2 eq/km Samaras, and Meisterling, 2008
Alternative PV Technologies Si grid EU grid US grid Fthenakis,ES&T 2008
Fthenakis,ES&T 2008
Fthenakis, ES&T 2008
Where do the heavy metals come from? Fthenakis, ES&T 2008
Energy Payback t = 0 1 2 3 4 5… t L e E m Time to breakeven = t B = E m /e Energy Return on Energy Investment = EROI = et L /E m
Paper or Plastic? Graedel 1995
Paper or Silicon? Toffel, M.W., and A. Horvath. Environmental implications of wireless technologies: News delivery and business meetings. Environmental Science & Technology 38( 2004 ):2961-2970.
Reading the New York Times • weighs about 236 kg/ • PDA mfg? yr • Uses Williams result • about 2.6 people read 12MB/32MB it • energy usage • paper production • telecommunications • printing infrastructure • delivery • half to land fill • half to recycle
Newspaper Vs PDA • New York Times • PDA • 270 kg CO 2 • 5 kg CO 2 • 8730 liters H 2 O • 232 liters H 2 O • 900 g NOx • 4 g NOx • 1,400 g SOx • 4 g SOx
Travel Vs Cell phones • Berkeley – Chicago • mfg included I/O for $100 phone, 3 year • auto, air, train life • average not marginal • includes infrastructure values • 2 hour call • lodging excluded • mfg excluded
Travel Vs Cell phones
Substitutes and Compliments • Substitutes: replacement or elimination • Compliments: stimulation or generation • do emails substitute for letters (paper)? • do telecommunications substitute for travel? • What were the first words of Alexander Graham Bell over the telephone? • “ Mr Watson, come here; I want you ” ref Mokhtarian (2002) JIE, 6, 2, 43-57
Where do major impacts occur? Life Cycle Analysis Life Cycle Analysis 6 3.5 3 5 2.5 impact impact 4 impact impact 2 1.5 3 1 2 0.5 1 0 0 mat'ls manufacturing use phase end of life mat'ls production manufacturing use phase end of life production phase of life phase of life Life Cycle Analysis Life Cycle Analysis 6 6 5 5 4 4 impact impact impact impact 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 mat'ls production manufacturing use phase end of life mat'ls production manufacturing use phase end of life phase of life phase of life
LCI Examples Life Stage Products with major impact in stage Paper Products: i.e. Extraction and paper Vs plastics, paper Refining Vs silicon … Microelectronics, Mfg Nano-technology Use fossil fuels, plug into Use grid Diapers, short life End of Life products
LCA Summary 1. Uses of LCA • Comparing, improving, EROI, alternative scenarios 2. New Developments of LCA • International I/O, physical units, ELSA, “ Attributional ” vs “ Consequencal ” 3. Limits to LCA • Accuracy, boundaries, perspective
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