Life cycle based dynamic assessment coupled with multiple criteria decision analysis: A case study of determining an optimal building insulation level

Sohn, Joshua; Kalbar, Pradip P.; Birkved, Morten

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.058

Cited by 35 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Among all the assessed literature (omitting partial frameworks), a PDLCA, that is, a DLCA that does not exhibit dynamism in all phases or parts, is most common (93%). For example, Sohn et al (, , ) analyzed different insulation materials with a DSys that incorporated a shift in background energy grid (i.e., from coal to natural gas) but did not incorporate either DPI (i.e., technological improvement within individual technologies) or DChar. While in that case it was likely that the omission had no material impact on the results, cases where that would not hold true can easily be envisioned.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in the aforementioned energy production system, environmental impacts within the energy production process could vary more than 50%, with an approximately 8% variance in the economics of the system (Björk and Rasmuson ). While this type of variance can be straightforwardly implemented in foreground processes developed by the LCA practitioner, implementing such variation can be more difficult in background processes where representative unit processes from existing databases that are difficult to modify might be used, such as those carried out in Sohn et al (, , ). The distinction between DPI and DSys can become rather fine, as in Miller et al (), where changes in a particular type of production are modeled as discrete processes which are then implemented to various degrees by the technology adopters.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Defining Temporally Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment: A Review

Sohn

Kalbar

Goldstein

et al. 2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Durable goods last for years, decades, or even centuries. The environmental implications of the changing social, economic, and material conditions in which these goods are embedded can be overlooked by conventional life cycle assessment (LCA) that assumes a static world. To avoid this oversight, methods such as dynamic LCA (DLCA) are increasingly being used. Despite the growing use of DLCA, numerous questions remain, including how this dynamism is incorporated and what aspects of any given DLCA are dynamic. To answer these questions, we performed a review of 56 DLCAs, of which 44 propose a framework for DLCA covering all International Organization for Standardization phases of an LCA or that carry out a DLCA. Three types of LCA dynamism are identified and assessed for the reviewed literature: dynamic process inventory, dynamic systems, and dynamic characterization, while a further 2 types of LCA dynamism, dynamic scope and dynamic weighting, are proposed but not applied in the assessed literature. We found that the implementation of DLCA varies widely, and inventories accounting for dynamic characteristics are by far the most prevalent expression of DLCA. To reduce confusion surrounding the discussion of DLCA, we propose a definition of DLCA and its subtypes: full DLCA, partial DLCA, and prospective LCA. It is concluded that, among the current array of DLCA definitions, the implementation of partially dynamic LCA (PDLCA), which applies dynamism in only some parts of the LCA, is common and likely to continue. This is because PDLCA offers quantifiable marginal utility in terms of increased validity of the assessment, in relation to conventional LCA methods, but caution is needed in applying PDLCA because of potential for introducing bias into the LCA. To avoid this problem, we propose incorporating system dynamism as part of a sensitivity analysis, particularly in PDLCA that are limited by missing data. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:314-323. © 2019 SETAC

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining Temporally Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment: A Review

Sohn

Kalbar

Goldstein

et al. 2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

Self Cite

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“…When adding dynamism, this translates into temporally specific results for, e.g., each year of the time horizon, for each of the 18 impact categories. Out of the many MCDA methods that exist, one that has shown great capability in dealing with LCA results is Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) [12,13]. The output from TOPSIS is given in the form of a single score performance index, which is used to derive preference between the scenarios being assessed.…”

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confidence: 99%

Maximizing Environmental Impact Savings Potential through Innovative Biorefinery Alternatives: An Application of the TM-LCA Framework for Regional Scale Impact Assessment

et al. 2019

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In order to compare the maximum potential environmental impact savings that may result from the implementation of innovative biorefinery alternatives at a regional scale, the Territorial Metabolism-Life Cycle Assessment (TM-LCA) framework is implemented. With the goal of examining environmental impacts arising from technology-to-region (territory) compatibility, the framework is applied to two biorefinery alternatives, treating a mixture of cow manure and grape marc. The biorefineries produce either biogas alone or biogas and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a naturally occurring polymer. The production of PHA substitutes either polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or biosourced polylactide (PLA) production. The assessment is performed for two regions, one in Southern France and the other in Oregon, USA. Changing energy systems are taken into account via multiple dynamic energy provision scenarios. Territorial scale impacts are quantified using both LCA midpoint impact categories and single score indicators derived through multi-criteria decision assessment (MCDA). It is determined that in all probable future scenarios, a biorefinery with PHA-biogas co-production is preferable to a biorefinery only producing biogas. The TM-LCA framework facilitates the capture of technology and regionally specific impacts, such as impacts caused by local energy provision and potential impacts due to limitations in the availability of the defined feedstock leading to additional transport.Sustainability 2019, 11, 3836 2 of 22 transition into a sustainable bioeconomy, as they allow for prospective studies. LCA of production systems/technologies, such as various agricultural productions, e.g., wine, cereal, and meat, can benefit from applying some of the new developments, since the large inputs and outputs to these systems, most likely, will have great environmental implications when changes to the production are implemented.By applying the TM-LCA framework, as used in this study, it is possible to assess said systems in the specific context of the region, i.e., taking into consideration the region's infrastructure, feedstock availability and accessibility, and the technical feasibility of technology implementation. Assessing large systems, as mentioned above, can be approached by defining the geographical boundaries in terms of a "producer territory" [4] so that the LCA can be applied for assessment of a delimited "territory", e.g., wine-producing areas, within a broadly defined region, e.g., Southern France. The producer territory is thus defined as the area of interaction between the aggregated producers and other systems within the region. The TM-LCA framework reduces data demand by aggregating individual areas of the production of, for example, a specific product, supply chain or waste treatment technology, while ignoring unchanging background systems, i.e., only changes to the region interacting with the producer territory are assessed. At the same time, representativeness is increased by merging local inventory data from individual pr...

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“…In terms of environmental impact, Sohn et al investigated the optimal insulation level for different scenarios using the ReCiPe method [42]. Although this method was also taken as a basis in this study, the optimum insulation thickness based on the economic analyses can be seen as a significant difference.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic and Environmental Optimization of an Airport Terminal Building’s Wall and Roof Insulation

2017

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HVAC systems use the largest share of energy consumption in airport terminal buildings. Thus, the efficiency of the HVAC system and the performance of the building envelope have great importance in reducing the energy used for heating and cooling purposes. In this study, the application of thermal insulation on the walls and roof of the Hasan Polatkan Airport terminal building was investigated from energy, environment and cost aspects. This study determined the optimum insulation thickness and assessed its effects on environmental performance based on energy flows. Environmental payback periods were calculated depending on the optimum insulation thickness. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to assess whether the decrease in energy consumption after applying the insulation balanced the environmental effects during the period between the production and application of the thermal insulation material. The global warming potential (GWP) based on IPCC100, and the effects on human health (HH), the ecosystem and natural resources were evaluated according to the ReCiPe method. LCA results were obtained by processing data taken from ecoinvent 3 database present in the Sima Pro 8.3.0.0 software. Applying thermal insulation on the walls and roof of the terminal building was found to decrease heat loss by 48% and 56%, respectively. In addition, the analyses showed that the environmental payback periods for the thermal insulation were shorter than the economic payback periods.

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Life cycle based dynamic assessment coupled with multiple criteria decision analysis: A case study of determining an optimal building insulation level

Cited by 35 publications

References 18 publications

Defining Temporally Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment: A Review

Defining Temporally Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment: A Review

Maximizing Environmental Impact Savings Potential through Innovative Biorefinery Alternatives: An Application of the TM-LCA Framework for Regional Scale Impact Assessment

Economic and Environmental Optimization of an Airport Terminal Building’s Wall and Roof Insulation

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