Assignment #4: Life Cycle Assessment
CONSTRUCT A LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT MODEL TO ASSESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF A PRODUCT OF
YOUR CHOICE
The goal of this report is to evaluate life cycle direct and indirect environmental
impacts of Biofera Micro/1m2. The minimum reference service life (RSL) for the
purpose of the Early Practical Date (EPD) is 10 years.The technical data comes from
Product Information System.
The testing product, Biosfera Micro, is produced in the manufacturing site
Scherpenzeel and owned by Interface Europe. The table below illustrates more
details about proportion of different materials used during manufacturing.
The Carpet tiles have 3 layers. Surface pile is made of 100% recycled
solution-dyed polyamide 6. Backing system, of which 25% is recycled, contains
glass-fleece reinforcement and polypropylene covering fleece. Recycled content
(post and pre-consumer) occupies 52% out of total weight.
In order to draw life cycle flow and measure environmental impacts form every
step, report divides the whole lifecycle into A, B, C, and D modules (table 2). LC starts
from material and end to recycling as well as selling to cement company.
Unfortunately, LC of Carpet couldn’t close the loop totally because parts of material
are difficult to 3R.
Table 1: Base Materials/ Ancillary Materials
Material PA 6 PES PP Limestone Bitumen AL(OH) 3 Latex Glass
fiber
Additi
ves
Value 8.3 2.9 1.2 52.6 18.4 3.7 11.2 0.8 0.9
Unit % % % % % % % % %
Table 2: Type of the Early Practical Date (Cradle to grave)
Number Name Task
A A1-A3 PRODUCTION Energy supply and production of materials, waste
treatment.
Credits for electricity and steam (ES) from the
incineration of production waste are aggregated
A4 TRANSPORT Transport packed textile floorcovering to
installation
A5 INSTALLATION Installation, waste treatment
Credit for ES form the incineration of packaging and
installation waste leave the product system
B B1 USE Indoor emission during EPD (10 years)
B2 MAINTENANCE Cleaning, Vacuum cleaning, Wet cleaning
B3-B7 NOT RELEVANT
C C1 DE-CONSTRUCTION Handcraft no impact
C2 TRANSPORT Transport waste to landfill, municipal waste
incineration (WMI), waste collection
C3 WASTE POCESSING Landfill, waste incineration-no waste need
processing
Collection-Granulating
C4 DISPOSAL Landfilling, incineration-leave the system
boundaries
Processed carpet waste leaves the system
boundaries
D D REUSE/RECOVERY/RECYCLING
POTENTIAL
Energy credits from landfill
Energy credits from waste incineration (processing
with < 60% efficiency)
Transport, substitution of material, fuel input
The life-cycle-flow (Figure 1) begins at the input of materials and energy carriers
from suppliers and nature, respectively. Last stage is to dispose waste including 3
ways: send to landfill, incineration and transport to cement industry. During LC, it
may generate emission, leak of fuel, material loss, water consumption, electricity
consumption, heat loss and etc. In order to reduce impacts, Interface use PA 6 SD as
the key material (100% recycled) and transport the organic material to cement kiln as
secondary fuel and integrate inorganic material in the cement clinker then substitute
original material input. However, during the LC of PV, the most impact is energy need,
especially solar electricity.
Figure 1: Life-cycle Flow of Biospera Micro/1M2
In the period of Carpet LC, there are variable impacts on air, water, fossil, etc.
From conclusion below (Table 2), A1-A3 has the most environmental effect.
Table 2: Most significant effective process on variable aspects
Parameter CWP ODP AP EP POCP ADPE ADPF
Unit Kg co2-Äq. Kg CFC11
Äq.
Kg so2
Äq.
Kg po43
Äq.
Kg Ethen
Äq.
Kg Sb Äq. Kg Mj Äq.
Most
significant
impact
C4/1 B2 B2 C4/1 B2 A1-A3 A1-A3
Caption GWP = Global warming potential; ODP = Depletion potential of the stratospheric ozone
layer; AP = Acidification potential of land and water; EP = Eutrophication potential;
POCP = Formation potential of tropospheric ozone photochemical oxidants; ADPE =
Abiotic depletion potential for non-fossil resources; ADPF = Abiotic depletion potential
for fossil resources
Parameter PERE PERM PERT PENRE PENRM PENRT SM RSF NRSF FW
Unit [MJ] [MJ] [MJ] [MJ] [MJ] [MJ] [KG] [MJ] [MJ] [M3]
Most
significant
impact
A1-A3 NONE A1-A3 A1-A3 A1-A3 A1-A3 A1-A3 NONE NONE A1-A3
Caption PERE = Use of renewable primary energy excluding renewable primary energy resources
used as raw materials; PERM = Use of renewable primary energy resources used as raw
materials; PERT = Total use of renewable primary energy resources; PENRE = Use of
non-renewable primary energy excluding non-renewable primary energy resources used
as raw materials; PENRM = Use of non-renewable primary energy resources used as raw
materials; PENRT = Total use of non-renewable primary energy resources; SM = Use of
secondary material; RSF = Use of renewable secondary fuels; NRSF = Use of
non-renewable secondary fuels; FW = Use of net fresh water
Parameter HWD NHWD RWD MFR MER EEE EET
Unit [Kg] [Kg] [Kg] [Kg] [Kg] [MJ] [MJ]
Most
significant
impact
A1-A3 B2 A1-A3 C4/2 C4/2 C4/1 C4/1
Caption HWD = Hazardous waste disposed; NHWD = Non-hazardous waste disposed; RWD =
Radioactive waste disposed; CRU = Components for re-use; MFR = Materials for
recycling; MER = Materials for energy recovery; EEE = Exported electrical energy; EET =
Exported thermal energy
In all, Lifecycle framework focuses on sustainability and environmental impacts
of a product but ignore the social effect, profitability and technical effect during
lifecycle which are still significant. Sometimes, technical breakthrough will redesign
inventory, boundaries of LCA. For example, CTA Bus is committed to the goal of
cleaner air in the Chicago region. CTA have changed fuel sources adding hybrid bus to
reduce carbon footprint. However, LCA assumes that development will follow
common or theoretical tendency based on existing data rather than forecasts huge
changes caused by technology or policy within reference service life. Unfortunately,
however, not all entrepreneurs could estimate that happens. Nevertheless, another
effect, social effect, can be predicted before shrivel. Social effect, in fact, is kind of
tricky to definite. But thorough research can totally solve relative problem by
learning local culture, consumption, purchasing preference, rite taboos, and etc.
Then company could know the social magnitude of these impacts. For example,
European countries create much more serious policies controlling emission, disposal,
and waste treatment, so even identical productions generated in different areas will
relatively have different incidences on social impacts. In contrast, some factors
outside the existing boundaries of Biofera Micro life cycle have obvious influences.
For example, different consumption habits almost decide market location of carpet.
In China, only companies, hotel or some public buildings use carpet while residents
prefer choosing wood floor or tile. Yet demands in USA or European countries are
considerable.
Reference:
Interface, Environmental Product Declaration (Biosfera Micro); 19.06.2012
Stand Interface Flooring Systems Group: Interface Corporation
http://pdf.archiexpo.com/pdf/interface-flooring-systems/biosfera/4250-106125-_3.h
tml
More about LCA
http://www.dantes.info/Tools&Methods/Environmentalassessment/enviro_asse_lca_detail.html
D. Beloin-Saint-Pierre, I. Blanc, J. Payet, P. Jacquin, N. Adra, D. Mayer; Environmental Impact of PV
Systems: Effects of Energy Sources Used in Production of Solor Panels
http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/48/73/49/PDF/Beloin-Saint-Pierre_Blanc_EU_PV_Hambu
rg_2009.pdf
Masaru Nakano, Shigetoshi Noritake, Toshio Ohashi; A lifecycle Simulation Framework for
Production Systems, Toyota Central R&D Laboratories., Inc., Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1192
A Greener CTA-Clean Air Buses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELmiHd5yZhw
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