Life Cycle Assessment on Layer-Combustion Hot-Water Boiler

Abstract

Resource consumption, energy consumption, environmental impact and costs of layer-combustion boiler were assessed by using life cycle assessment (LCA). The costs during construction stage, resource and energy consumption during operation stage of layer-combustion hot-water boiler were focused on. Life cycle inventory was established. The results show that: throughout the boiler life cycle, the largest resource consumption indicator is that of coal with value of 93%, followed by natural gas and limestone. For the internal costs, although operation costs are obviously higher than construction costs, the construction costs still account for more than 30%, which is related to the relatively short servicetime of layer-combustion heating boilers. For the external costs, global warming accounts for the highest proportion.