Industrial ecology & Life Cycle Assessment

Transcription

1 Industrial ecology & Life Cycle Assessment Dr. Santosh Kumar Sharma M.Sc. (Botany), M.Phil. (Envi. Mgmt.), Ph.D. (Botany) Mobile No ;

2 Introduction Deals with the relationship between Industry + Ecology. The word ecology is derived from the Greek oikos, (household) and logy (the study of). Eugene Odum: The study of households including the plants, animals, microbes, and people that live together as interdependent beings on Spaceship Earth. Ecology can be broadly defined as the study of the interactions between the abiotic and the biotic components of a system.

3 Defining Industrial Ecology Industrial ecology is the study of the interactions between industrial and ecological systems; consequently, it addresses the environmental effects on both the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosphere. an effort to reduce the industrial systems environmental impacts on ecological systems. an emphasis on harmoniously integrating industrial activity into ecological systems. the idea of making industrial systems more efficient and sustainable by emulating natural systems closely related concepts industrial ecosystems, industrial metabolism, industrial symbiosis etc.

4 Why Industrial Ecology? Population is growing Our current interaction with nature. Pollution is constantly increasing and (Pesticides, heavy metals etc.) Nature's productive ability is declining (Farmland, oceans, forests etc.) Environmental legislation Role of media - as environmental proponents reporting environmental damage. The solution will be an approach that allows the two systems to coexist without threatening each other s viability

5 Historical Development The publication of the Club of Rome s report The Limits to Growth received considerable public attention. In 1989, Robert Ayres developed the concept of industrial metabolism. Robert A. Frosch Nicholas E. Gallopoulus The official beginnings of Industrial Ecology as a field of study can be traced to a article Strategies for Manufacturing Scientific American 261; September 1989, by Frosch and Gallopoulos.

6 Historical Development The first textbook (Industrial Ecology; Graedel and Allenby, 1995). The first university degree program (created by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology [NTNU] in 1996). T. E. Graedel s appointment as the first professor of industrial ecology in The birth of the Journal of Industrial Ecology in 1997, and the foundation of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) in 2001.

7 Goals of Industrial Ecology To promote sustainable development at the global, regional, and local levels. The sustainable use of resources. Preserving ecological and human health. Promotion of environmental equity (Intersocietal) Minimal use of nonrenewable resources. High degree of interconnectedness and integration that exists in nature

8 Key Concepts of Industrial Ecology (i) Systems Analysis (ii) Multidisciplinary Approach (iii) Material-Flow Analysis (iv) Analogies to Natural Systems The natural environment is a resilient, self-regulating, productive system. There is waste in nature. Materials and energy are continually circulated and transformed. Concentrated toxins are not stored or transported in bulk. Cooperation and competition are interlinked, held in balance.

9 (i) Linear (Open) Versus Cyclical (Closed) Loop Unlimited Resources and Energy Industrial Activity Unlimited Space for Waste Systems Type I Industrial Ecology Evolution from a Type I to a Type III system Energy & Limited Resources Industrial Activity with some Recycling Limited Waste The shifting of industrial process from linear (open loop) systems, in which resource and capital investments move through the system to become waste, To Energy Type II Industrial Ecology Industrial Activity with a closed loop system where wastes become inputs for new processes. Total Resource Conservation Type III Industrial Ecology

10 The current state of Industrial Ecology Currently focuses on the development of two interrelated areas, analysis and design IE analysis: deals with mapping resource consumption at various system boundaries. There are a number of theoretical elements: Physical accounting: resource stocks and flows across system boundaries; Natural capital: ecosystem as a means for production; Ecological economics: relates economic theory to natural behaviors; Systems complexity: making generalities about the natural ecosystem In addition, IE analysts utilize a varied set of unique tools and methods: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): IPAT equation: used to identify necessity for technological improvement; P= product of population, A= affluence of the population or resource intensity per capita, and T= impact per resource (technology). Resource metrics: energy, emergy, and exergy are properties of pieces in a system that can be measured and optimized; and Environmental footprint: The placement of anthropogenic environmental impact into standardized, limited units to quantify the theoretical environmental qualities.

11 IE Design: Some guiding principles for IE engineering: Dematerialization: the quest to achieve the same service for less resources; Green chemistry: a reduction in the use and production of pollution and toxins in industry; Distributed energy: development of methods for smallscale, site-appropriate, resilient power generation facilities; and Closing loops: finding uses for waste flows from industrial processes or re-engineering material processes to generate usable waste and recyclable products.

12 Industrial Ecology as a Potential Umbrella for Sustainable Development Strategies: Pollution prevention the use of materials, processes, or practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants at the source (U.S. EPA) Waste minimization the reduction, to the extent feasible, of hazardous waste that is generated or subsequently treated, sorted, or disposed of (U.S. EPA) Source reduction any practice that reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environmental prior to recycling, treatment or disposal. Total quality environmental management (TQEM) used to monitor, control, and improve a firm s environmental performance within individual firms.

13 Types of Industrial Ecosystems Local, Regional, National, Global Industrial Symbiosis The Eco-Industrial Park

14 Example of Industrial Ecology At Kalundborg, the pattern of cooperation is described as industrial symbiosis or a pioneering industrial ecosystem. Industrial environmental cooperation at the town of Kalundborg, 80 miles west of Copenhagen in Denmark. Industries exchange wastes Companies made agreements 70s 90s The cooperation involves among Asnaes Coal-fired power plant Statoil Oil Refinery Gyproc plasterboard company Novo Nordisk biotechnology company a sulfuric acid producer, cement producers, local agriculture and horticulture, district heating in Kalundborg.

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16 Industrial Ecology in Kalundborg Saves resources: 30% better utilization of fuel using combined heat + power than producing separate Reduced oil consumption 3500 less oil-burning heaters in homes Does not deplete fresh water supplies New source of raw materials Gypsum, sulfuric acid, fertilizer, fish farm

17 An Eco-Industrial Park in Devens, Massachusetts We should leave to the next generation a stock of quality of life assets no less than those we have inherited. -Devens Enterprise Commission

18 Economic Benefits of IE Hidden Resource Productivity Gains Within Firm: eliminating waste Making plant more efficient Within Value Chain: reducing costs Synergies between production and distribution Beyond Production Chain: closed loop Eco-Industrial Parks and inter-firm relations Benefits of IE to Corporation Revenue Generation Cost Savings Reduced Liabilities Competitive Edge of Regulatory Flexibility Enhanced Public Image Market Leader

19 The Future of IE

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21 Cradle to Grave Analysis

22 Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle LCA is a tool to evaluate the environmental consequences of a product or activity holistically, across its entire life U.S. EPA A way of looking at the effect on the environment of products (or processes) including packaging Considers the whole life cycle, from raw material production to ultimate fate

23 Product Life Cycle

24 Steps of LCA: 1. Goal definition (ISO 14040): The basis and scope of the evaluation are defined. 2. Inventory Analysis (ISO 14041): identification and quantification of energy and resource use and environmental releases to air, water, and land. 3. Impact Assessment (ISO 14042): Emissions and consumptions are translated into environmental effects. 4. Improvement Assessment/Interpretation (ISO 14043): Evaluation and implementation of opportunities to reduce environmental burden

25 STEPS in an LCA 1. Goal and Scope: Select product or activity Define purpose of study (comparison? improvement?) Fix boundaries accordingly 2. Inventory Analysis: Identify all relevant inputs and outputs Quantify and add (At this stage, data are in terms of energy consumed, emission amounts, etc.) 3. Impact Analysis: Determine the resulting environmental impacts (At this next stage, the previous data are translated in additional cancer rates, fish kill, habitat depletion, etc.) 4. Interpretation: Use value judgment to assess and/or in relation to the objectives of the study.

26 LCA Step 1 - Goal Definition and Scope It is important to establish beforehand What purpose the model is to serve, what one wishes to study, what depth and degree of accuracy are required, and what will ultimately become the decision criteria. In addition, the system boundaries - for both time and place - should be determined.

27 LCA Step 2 Inventory Analysis The inputs and outputs of all life-cycle processes in terms of material and energy. Start with making a process tree or a flow-chart classifying the events in a product s life-cycle which are to be considered in the LCA, plus their interrelations. Next, start collecting the relevant data for each event: the emissions from each process and the resources (back to raw materials) used. Establish (correct) material and energy balance(s) for each process stage and event.

28 LCA Step 3 - Impact Assessment

29 LCA Step 3 - Impact Assessment Examples of Common Impact Categories Greenhouse gas emissions Air emissionscarcinogens Non-carcinogens Respiratory inorganics Aquatic Acidification Eutrophication Land use Ecotoxicity Aquatic Terrestrial Ozone layer depletion Three well-documened and used methods are: The Eco-Points method The Environmental Priority System The Eco-Indicator Ionizing radiation Non-renewable energy Mineral extraction Health impacts

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31 LCA Step 4 - Improvement Assessment/Interpretation The final step in Life-Cycle Analysis is to identify areas for improvement. Consult the original goal definition for the purpose of the analysis and the target group. Life-cycle areas/processes/events with large impacts (i.e., high numerical values) are clearly the most obvious candidates However, what are the resources required and risk involved? Good areas of improvement are those where large improvements can be made with minimal (corporate) resource expenditure and low risk.

32 LCAs are used: in the design process to determine which of several designs may leave a smaller footprint on the environment, or after the fact to identify environmentally preferred products in government procurement or eco-labeling programs. Also, the study of reference or benchmark LCAs provides insight into the main causes of the environmental impact of a certain kind of product and design priorities and product design guidelines can be established based on the LCA data.

33 Some Problems with LCA Goal Definition and Scoping Costs and time to conduct an LCA may be prohibitive to small firms. Temporal & spatial dimensions are difficult to address. Definition of functional units can be problematic. Complex products (automobiles) require tremendous resources to analyze. You have to do one LCA for every product in your company Data Collection Data availability and access can be limiting. Data quality concerns such as bias, accuracy, precision, and completeness are often not well-addressed. Data Evaluation Sophisticated models and model parameters may not be available, Information Transfer Design decision-makers often lack knowledge about environmental effects. Aggregation and simplification techniques may distort results. Impact categorization is difficult (global warming, eutrophication, etc.)

34 Thanks