Environmental assessment John Posada Presented by Patricia - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Environmental assessment John Posada Presented by Patricia Osseweijer 1 Environmental impacts assessment Some methodologies available for detailed assessment of environmental impacts of chemical processes: 1. Life cycle assessment (LCA) 2.
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Presented by Patricia Osseweijer
Some methodologies available for detailed assessment of environmental impacts of chemical processes:
Environmental impacts assessment
1. Life cycle assessment (LCA) 2. Waste reduction (WAR) algorithm 3. Minimum environmental impact (MEI) methodology 4. Atmospheric hazards index (AHI) 5. Environmental fate and risk assessment tool (EFRAT) 6. Thermodynamic analysis method
Life cycle assessment framework
The four steps of an LCA
Goal & Scope Definition Inventory Analysis Impact Assessment Interpretation
Dominance analysis
Uncertainty analysis
& Recommendations Direct applications
development and improvement
International Organization of Standardization, ISO-14040: Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment – Principles and Framework, ISO, Geneva, Switzerland (2006). ISO-14044: Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment – Requirements and Guidelines, ISO, Geneva, Switzerland (2006).
Cradle-to-gate
Recycle ?
Feedstock Products Waste Management Raw materials Use
Cradle-to-gate
LCA-Step 1. Goal and Scope definition, bio-based PDO case-study.
Research Questions: “What are the environmental impacts of the bio-based PDO production process? ... And how do they compare to petrochemical counterpart and other LCA studies?”
Materials Energy Air Water Land
System boundaries: Cradle-to-factory gate Cradle-to-grave
LCA-Step 1. Goal and Scope definition, bio-based PDO case-study.
Cradle-to-gate
Sugar cane Production Sugar cane Milling PDO Production
Energy Materials Air, Water, Land Main product co-products Emissions to
PDO
Material & Energy
Raw material: Sugar from Brazilian sugar cane Functional Unit: 1 kg PDO
LCA-Step 1. Goal and Scope definition, bio-based PDO case-study.
Sugar
Cradle-to-gate
Sugar cane Production Sugar cane Milling PDO Production
Energy Materials Air, Water, Land Main product co-products Emissions to
PDO
Material & Energy
LCA-Step 2. Life cycle inventory (LCI), bio-based PDO case-study.
Background Processes Foreground Processes
Sugar
Electricity to grid
Sugar Production (Background processes)
Sugar cane production Fertilizers Pesticides Lime/seeds Fuels Others Cogeneration system Filter cake Sugar Bagasse Surplus bagasse Cane juice Raw cane Water NaOH Lime H2SO4
LCA-Step 2. Life cycle inventory
Steam & electricity Hydrous ethanol Anhydrous ethanol Sugar cane milling Ethanol Production
Data from: Seabra et al. (2011). Biofuels, Bioprod.
3.3 %
Bagasse sold/ total produced
Other products Unit 40 % Sugar Hydrous ethanol Anhydrous ethanol 39 % 21 % Products Unit Electricity surplus 10.7 kWh/t cane
PDO Production (Foreground processes)
LCA-Step 2. Life cycle inventory
Sugar
Ammonia Process water Glycerol
PDO
Others Electricity Steam CO2 Waste Water
Inventory tables: Normalized per functional unit
3.48 Sugar Fermentation water Process water
Components
Ammonia 19.42 0.72 0.05 0.07 Sulfuric acid Sodium hydroxide 0.04 Waste water treatment 0.02 3.26 Glycerol
Overall Flows (kg/kg PDO)
Electricity (units/MJ)* Steam Cooling water 2.13 3.96 29.89
* Electricity, units in (MJ/MJ and kg CO2 eq/MJ)
Figure adapted from: European platform on life cycle assessment (EPLCA)
LCA-Step 3. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)
3.1. Definition and classification of impact categories
Recommended readings
Human Health
Area of protection (endpoints)
Climate change Eutrophication Ozone layer Land-use Natural Environment Natural resources Resource depletion Summer smog Carcinogens Acidification Ecotoxicity NOx, Cd, CO2, CH4, dioxins, energy, coal, silver ore, land use… and other emissions and resource flows
Impact potentials (midpoints) Pressures (inventory)
Environmental mechanism (impact pathway)
LCA-Step 3. Impact assessment
3.2. Characterization of category indicator results
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0.72 Sugar Fermentation water Process water
Components
Ammonia 0.02 0.01 41.67 24.25 Sulfuric acid Sodium hydroxide 2.02 Waste water treatment 21.36 0.32 Glycerol
NREU (MJ/kg)
0.23 0.00 0.00 2.10 2.84 0.12 1.10 0.18
GHG (kg CO2 eq/kg) Characterization factors
3.48 19.42 0.72 0.05 0.07 0.04 0.02 3.26
Overall flows (kg/kg PDO) Emissions & Inputs/
2.51 0.34 0.00 2.23 1.76 0.07 0.40 1.05
NREU (MJ/kg PDO)
0.81 0.02 0.00 0.11 0.21 0.00 0.02 0.59
GHG (kg CO2 eq/PDO) Category Indicator Results
3.31 32.98
Electricity (units/MJ)* Steam Cooling water 2.13** 5.94 44.83 0.42* 0.06* 3.95 0.23
** Electricity in (MJ/kg PDO)
0.01 0.00 0.90 0.14 23.47 1.39 0.25 0.01
* Electricity, units in (MJ/MJ and kg CO2 eq/MJ)
LCA-Step 3. Impact assessment (3)
3.2. Characterization of category indicator results 3.3. Normalization. Optional 3.4. Weighting. Optional
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3.5. Grouping. Optional
LCA-Step 4. Interpretation of results
Verification of results from several perspectives:
LCA-Step 4. Interpretation of results
Verification of results from several perspectives:
LCA-Step 4. Interpretation of results
Characterization factors for EU sugar beets and US corn are directly taken from EcoInvent database (website: http://www.ecoinvent.org/database/).
Verification of results from several perspectives:
Integral assessment: standards
12 principles developed by the Round Table for Sustainable Biomaterials
http://rsb.org/sustainability/rsb-tools-guidelines/
People Profit Planet PPP (People-planet-profit) concept:
Integrating results and weighing of factors
Standards for sustainable production
Bearable Equitable Viable Sustainable