Life Cycle Assessment

Prof. Brajesh Kumar Dubey

Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Lecture - 15
LCA Methodology

Welcome back. This is the forth module for the third week. So, we will start where we
left in the previous module.

(Refer Slide Time: 00:31)

I was giving you some examples of basics of how the life cycle is done. So, again just a
quick recap: you start from the raw material acquisition, you go to the material
processing, then manufacturing and assembly, use in service, retirement and recovery
and treatment and disposal. So, you are looking at from cradle to grave. So, that is we
talked about that earlier just as well.

And then in between you may have some reuse, remanufactured, closed loop recycle,
open loop recycle. And for each of these units we have material and energy input into the
process and we have waste being produced, and this waste does not have to be a solid
waste, could be a liquid waste, and could be a gaseous waste. So, this is what a product
life cycle is from cradle to grave
(Refer Slide Time: 01:32)

So, we also look at the slide, this was the last time we looked in the previous segment,
where I said that based on the ISO definition, we need to have a goal and scope
definition, inventory analysis which is the biggest part of doing an LCA exercise, then
you need to have impact assessment and interpretation. So, in this module and the
module after this we will be going into each of these in great details and with several
examples, I will give you some small examples, then we will cover a big example where
we will go step by step of all these aspects which will make you clearer in terms of the
methodology of how to conduct an LCA.

And towards the end of the course if you look at the syllabus, we do have several case
studies. Here I am using these examples to explain you the concepts. And then we will
apply these concepts again in several of the case studies. Many of those case studies are
essentially the case studies which came out of my research projects over the last few
years. Some of those research projects is already have been converted into the like
technical reports of publications. And I will give you a link of that if you want to read
further.

That will be towards the end of the course, I would probably maybe the last week we
will do that. In terms of LCA let us look at a very simple example.
(Refer Slide Time: 03:00)

So, we write, whether as a student or a professor or an instructor or a teacher, we do have

to write things, write notes. So, there are different ways you can write it. So, take two
examples, of a wooden pencil versus mechanical pencil. So, these are the two examples
we are looking at. So, wooden pencil very common; you go and buy. Natraj used to be
very common in India. Now also there are other wooden pencils are there. So, wooden
pencils and versus the mechanical pencil will look at.

So, the first step if you remember from the previous slide goal and scope. So, what is the
goal of these two kind of, two different products? Goal is to write isn’t it? The goal is to
write. And here, the goal for this LCA exercise could be compare two writing utilities for
classroom use. So, we are trying to compare these writing utilities for the classroom. Say
we can take a classroom, where some people are writing with wooden pencil, some
people writing at mechanical pencil and then we have to compare in terms of their
environmental footprint which one is better.

Now, if you look at the wooden pencil’s scope, we have to have a process flow diagram
of how these wooden pencils are made and its uses. So, since its wood it has to come
from lumber. Lumber the wood. That is the lumber forest. So we need to cut the trees to
get the lumber from the forest, and then it will come to the lumber mill. The T in
between is a transportation. You see several T’s in this process flow diagram and all the
T‘s representing the transportation from one place to another place.
So, lumber forest transported to this lumber mill. At lumber mill you have got stuff ready
to make the pencil. Then from there you added rubber. Rubber is that eraser which goes
at the end of the pencil. If you remember most of these pencils wooden pencils also
comes with an eraser at the end, so that is what we have the rubber. Then we have
graphite, which is the pencil thing that we write. That is the middle part of any wooden
pencil or is the graphite led in the mechanical pencil. Then it has to be packaged, and
then there is also a brass. Brass if you look at a wooden pencil very carefully, towards the
end of the pencil when there is an eraser out there, the eraser and the wooden part of the
pencil is connected with a brass ring. So, that is what we are talking about here.

So, if you look at this particular picture very carefully over here you can see the brass
ring as well. So, that is all this stuff that you will use to make to manufacture. And once
the manufacturing has been done then it has to go to the retailer. Again if you look at
each one of these rubber, graphite, packaging, and brass each one of them has to be
transported. So you see this transfer T, T, T, T. So, this is the transportation of rubber to
the manufacturing plant, graphite, packaging, for the packaging you need the cardboard,
you need some cello tape for the duck tapes of those that and then brass need to be
prepared and send it to the manufacturing plant as well.

So, that is where this manufacturing plant where the pencil would be made. It will get
sent to a retailer to any shop, and then from the shop we will buy it, and when we buy it
we will use it. In between when you are using it we may have to use sharpener.
Sharpener most very common sharpener is the mechanical sharpener. But in some
schools now and at some places this electrical sharpener is also being used. This
electrical sharpener that you see over here although the video is a bit wrong the pencil
does not go inside pencil actually comes out. So, you put it in, it gets sharpened and you
get the pencil coming out. It does not just go and get disappeared.

But this is an example of an electrical sharpener. But even if you use a mechanical
sharpener. Think about a mechanical sharpener. What it has? Most of the mechanical
sharpeners these days are made of plastic which have a blade in the middle, and then you
also have a screw, a very tiny screw which keeps blade on the plastic. So, that is your
sharpener. And either you use mechanical sharpener or you use this electrical sharpener,
but it sharpener needs to happen from time to time. And then at the end when you are
sharpening it the wooden pieces are coming off, the wooden savings are coming off and
we are assuming that that is going to the land fill. We can also have a scenario where that
goes to a compose plant.

So, this whole process from the lumber forest all the way to the end of life, is the cradle
to grave for these wooden pencils. So, think about that. For as simple product as wooden
pencil you need to go through all these processes. So, that is a to take care of all the
processes and think about all the transportation, like just for this is small product we had
T’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 times, so we have to take this transportation data. And these
transportation data mostly you have to find out whether it is a transport by sea, like a
whether it is a river based transport, water based transport or whether transportation by
trucks, transportation by rail. So, all those things information has to be collected as well.

So, this all the data collection that goes with that, that is what the LCA is; that the life
cycle inventory data, and that is very critical. This is was for the wooden pencil.

(Refer Slide Time: 08:51)

Now next, if you have the mechanical pencil. So same thing the goal is to write, but you
rather than having wooden pencil we have this set of mechanical pencil, I will take one
of these mechanical pencil. Now mechanical pencil mostly they are made of; these days
if you look at the mechanical pencil they are mostly made of plastics. So, plastics either
polyethylene or polypropylene. So, that is what you have both materials are plastic
polymers, basically large molecules used to make a many products. So, they are made of
plastics.
Where we get the plastic from? Plastic comes from oil. So, you have the petroleum
based, so it is oil. So, you will have an oil from the oil polyethylene and polypropylene
will be made. Again the transportation involved here, then you take it to the
manufacturing plant where these mechanical pencils will be made, and then in the
mechanical pencil you need to again eraser, eraser is there. Graphite: those graphite
needles like a we call it led. Graphite led you can buy it in a separate like small
containers for the refilling of them, then packaging as usual for any product. And if you
remember, if you have looked at any mechanical pencil these mechanical pencils also
come with any spring, you need a spring to put into the mechanical pencil.

So, all these things, these stuff will go into the manufacture, then again it will go to
retailer it will be used and at the end of the day most of the led will be used up, but you
will have this mechanical if the things gets broken down. You have this plastics going to
the land fill, like we have assumed a scenario going to the land fill. So, now if we have to
compare these were the two scopes from cradle to grave for both of the scenario we have
a cradle to grave scenario that is a complete life cycle. These days we also talked about
cradle to cradle. Many times I joke that all this cradle to cradle concept has come from
the western world, but if you think about our in India we many of us who believe in
Hinduism we think about punarjanmam like a when you are rebirth

So, cradle to cradle is very much a concept like rebirth. So, we are talking about rebirth
of the materials. So, the materials which have been used at the end of it is use rather than
going into the end of life we are recycling it and we are bringing it back into the
economy. So, that is the concept of circular economy; the cradle to cradle concept which
is very popular these days. If you look at any environmental magazines or
environmental, if you follow environmental news you see this few people talking about
circular economy a lot.
(Refer Slide Time: 11:31)

So, coming to now we have figured out the goal; the goal is to compare the mechanical
pencil versus the wooden pencil for its writing. Of course, that is what the pencil is used
for. Now, how we will compare? Is it a fair to compare one wooden pencil versus one
mechanical pencil? Because one wooden pencil will last if you are writing every day, day
in and day out in your classroom, from a regular class hours from say morning 8 o clock
until 2 p m you are using a wooden pencil every day. It may last for a month depending
on how much you write, how much you make may be 2 months. Supposed if you look a
mechanical pencil they may last for a year or if you do not break things too often. So, it
will last for a much longer period than a wooden pencil.

So, will it be a fair comparison between a wooden pencil versus a mechanical pencil?
The answer is no, because a wooden pencil will you get used up quickly, wooden pencil
requires much less energy for to make everything as supposed to mechanical pencil. So,
it is not a fair comparison. But if you think about in terms of their writing wooden
pencils versus mechanical pencil what is the function; function is to write. So, when the
function is to write we have to look at what is their functional. Remember I talked to you
earlier that this function and the functional unit these concepts again try to understand
that.

So, function for both of these is to write. So, what we can take is we can take a
functional unit; we can take a functional unit of say 1 meter of writing. Say if you have
to do 1 meter of writing which one is better; whether we should go for a mechanical
pencil or a wooden pencil, which one comes out to be better for 1 meter of writing? This
1 meter writing is not a like a hard and fast rule, you can take one page of writing, you
can say one A4 page of writing with a standard it is spacing and these many number of
lines or 10 lines or you can even say 10 A4 pages, 20 A4 pages whatever. You can come
up with a functional unit where the function is to write.

So, in this case it is much simpler, like you have wooden pencil versus mechanical pencil
the function is to write. But sometimes when it is things may not be that easier and I will
talk to you in a minute about that. So, the functional function here is writing, we can take
the functional unit as 1 meter of writing, so what is the function? Function is the service
provided by the system. So, what it does, so that is the function. For this mechanical
pencil versus wooden pencil their function is to help us write, so that is why we said to
writing.

Functional unit is the we give the function in number value. The reason for that is we
have to give a number value so that we can allow comparison between the products. So,
that becomes a reference point. So, all these LCI data that life cycle inventory data that
you will collect that has to be collected based on a certain like a basis. So, here we can
say 1 meter of writing using either mechanical pencil versus wooden pencil. Say for
example wooden pencil, their last for say 10000 meters of writing; so whatever is the
environmental impact for 10000 meters of writing for that one particular wooden pencil
we can scale it down to 1 meter of writing. And similarly we can say for the mechanical
pencil say one mechanical pencil may go for 10000 or 20000, 50000 meters of writing
and then we can bring it down to what it would be for 1 meter, and then we can compare.

So, that is like a comparing what we call apple to apple, both of them are giving us a
function of 1 meter of writing.
(Refer Slide Time: 15:33)

So, in this case things are much easier to do those kinds of stuff. In some other cases
things may not be that easy. We will talk about that in a minute. So, in terms of that data
say for 1 meter of writing that we talked about in terms of data what kind of data we
need, we need that what is the input going into the system, how much energy is being
supplied, how much material going in, we also look at the labor, and energy, material;
material does include water as well. So, we have energy, materials which includes water,
labor that goes into the system to make it; and what is the output? Output is our product
which is it could be output is what comes out of the system. It could also be like if you
are producing electricity, it could be electricity, it could be materials, it could be goods, it
could be services. And then we have certain bi-products or co-products.

Bi- products that could be some of these are waste that could be liquid, solid, gaseous
waste. Gaseous waste we also call emissions and we can have some co-products coming
out of that tube. So, we have to do kind of an inventory between those two.
(Refer Slide Time: 16:30)

So, we do have it inventory which is call as life cycle inventory analysis. So, we have to
collect data. So, that is very very important; we have to collect the data coming out from
this to compare. So, that is why if you remember we looked at some of the previous
module I was emphasizing you a lot on the data, data quality, how the environmental
data is collected, just because of this particular reason, because we have to collect a lot of
data. And if your data is bad say, if you have a what is the life cycle analysis these days
are software’s are out there and we will I will introduce you to some of the software as
well.

So, you have a software package and then package you are in putting a certain date, but
if the data quality is bad the software cannot do any magic to it, whatever the output that
will come out will be bad anyway. So, having the good quality realistic data for doing
good life cycle analysis is very very important. That is the reason we looked at some of
those videos last week, and early this week, that in terms of the data; quality why in
terms of how the data is collected and all that.

So, again kind of emphasizing on this particular slide, for the life cycle inventory
analysis; inventory analysis essentially the data collection part. So, what are the things
will look for here? We want the time sensitive, so past 5 years. Now why we want this
time sensitive? Again you should ask this why question. For everything you should try to
ask this why question to get yourself comfortable with what you are getting the
information.

So, why time sensitive fast 5 is because, the technology keeps on changing. So, if you
the first bullet, first point that we have listed here is time sensitive past 5 years, because
the technology keeps on improving. Just look at the electronics technology; I give
examples of electrons from time and time because we all relate to it much quicker, we all
have some electronic products with us so we can think about that in a better way. So, I
like a 5 years ago whatever the laptop used to be today laptop is much different.

Even the cell phone 5 years ago the way the cell phone used to be, today the cell phone it
is again much different; more powerful and much lighter. So that is why the technology
keeps on improving. Technology keeps on improving and that is why we are looking at
the time sensitive of past 5 years data, because if you have older data that does not really
gives you the current picture. So, you are doing LCA exercise, but you are actually you
are being biased towards the whole data that may not be the realistic or what is
happening today.

Other point second point is the geographical: does it match the location from the goal. So
now, if your goal is to compare certain things in an Indian contest and the data that you
generate, the data that you collect is all Western European countries or American
countries of Canadian or American countries including US, Canada and other places. So,
that is not fair, because the data has to be as close to the place where you are trying to get
the study term, where you are trying to look at the impact. Although, LCA exercises a
global exercise, its gives you impact on globally scale but then the local data, the local
information needs to be fed in because we are trying to get in like the impact from the
processes that is being used in that geographical region.

So, for that you need to kind of rely, as I said earlier most of the data that we have today
in those data bases and you will see those data bases examples. So, the most of the data
that is there in the database coming from the Western European countries, some from
US, we have some Indian data being generated right now as well. I think I mention to
you earlier that eco invent the company which take care looks at the data collection
which is time to collect the data for all the standard unit processes for different things
happening in industry. So, they are trying to collect the data from throughout the world.
Right now we are working with eco invent on a project, we are trying to collect data for
the textile industry in India that project also has FICCI- Federation of Indian Chamber of
Commerce as one of the partner too.

So, you have to be have the data as to be geographical. One of the most important part
becomes is your energy mix. So, if you are using the energy data; say for example, in
Indian context we use still our coal based thermal power plant is one of the major source
of energy, but that is not the case in many other countries. If you go to the Western
European countries we have more nuclear, some places we have more hydro. So, now if
you take that energy data and try to use it an Indian context of course, our results will not
be correct, is not it; because they have different environmental footprint.

At the very beginning of the class I showed you that how the energy, like even just if you
just think about from the water demand; water demand was so much different for
different types of energy sources. So, that is why you are impact will be different. So,
this geographical region is important, does it to match with the location from the goal.
Then you try to find out the technology the best available technology for process. So,
what does that mean; for save there you are trying to compare two different products, and
for that particular product try to use the best available technology in the market, so that
you are not being unbiased.

Usually, old technology will be less environmental friendly or may not be true in all the
cases, but these days as we are trying to go for more pollution prevention green
engineering most of the companies are trying to have better technologies out there; so in
terms in better technology from the environmental perspective. So, in terms of the
technology try to look at the best available, then it should be of a representative; we
should not try to pick it technology which is just being used for say 5 percent of the
product rather than 95 percent of the product is not made using the technology, although
the technology maybe very green, but it is not going to give us the true picture. So, we
should get the technology which is representative; that means majority of the product is
made by using that particular technology.

Then the data should be consistent, and say as part of this data quality data if you
remember we are talked about the qa qc. So, the fifth and sixth bullet kind of
reemphasizes the qa qc over here data should be consistent, so it should match with the
procedure and if you try to collect the data and again and again you should get similar
values. And then it should be reproducible, like another person could also find it. So, that
is what the reproducibility means. That it is not that you found the data, but others cannot
find similar data.

And again part of that qa qc procedure you make sure the data is precise. So, that is what
it is talking about. The consistent reproducibility of a measurement, it is not that is why
we talked about doing the replicates and all that. And then data should be complete
covers all the areas outline in this scope.

So, again this data collection part of this LCA inventory is life cycle inventory analysis is
the biggest task in terms of life cycle analysis that we do. So, that is a very very
important.

(Refer Slide Time: 23:34)

Now another example: let us look at LCA in action. Let us let us think about this paper
plate versus China plate. China plate is a plate you wash and reuse, that is the plate that
we use. Like a similar to your law paler set or the other set that you buy from big bazaar
or other places. It is called China plate because I think the reason behind it is initially it
was used in China and it kind of came from there.

So, if you have to compare paper plate versus China plate, now how will you go about
that? So, in terms of comparing it again, if you remember what is the function; there are
several in this particular slide as you can see we have listed several questions and I will
try to go and answer each and one of them. Like and I would encourage you to think
about the answers to these questions as well.

So, what is the function of these two plates, for paper plate versus China plate? The
function is to serve the meal. It is the meal like either you can serve the breakfast, of the
lunch, of the dinner. So, it is a serving of the meal is what is the function of this. Now in
terms of the functional unit: functional unit we can be again compare one paper plate
versus one China place will it be a fair comparison. One paper plate in ideal scenario
should be used only once, sometimes in like a university hostels you may end up using it
more than once, but usually it should be used only ones. So, we will assume that normal
scenario where you are using it only once. So, you are using it once and then it gets
thrown away.

So, paper plate is used only once, China plate can be used multiple times and tell you
break it. But when you are using multiple times; again I am not talking about the
scenario in a hostel where you may be using the China plate without washing it for
breakfast to dinner, but that is not that is usually not the case. So, we will assume that
after every usage you are washing it. So, that is you plate you wash and then you reuse it.
So, the function is to serve the meal.

Now in terms of the functional unit we have to pick a functional unit, why we need to
pick a functional unit? Again the why question. Why we need to pick up the functional
unit, because you want to make sure that all the data that we collect that LCI inventory
that we collect is based on the is the functional unit that we choose. So, here what would
be an ideal functional unit? One paper plate versus one China plate is not a good one,
because paper plate can be used only ones China plate can be used multiple of times. So,
it is not a fair comparison.

In that case what an ideal functional unit, if you think about that; what is the function?
Function is to serve the meal. So, we can pick a functional unit which is related to the
serving of the meal. So, in that case let us think that ok let us take a scenario where we
serve 100 meals or 30 meals or 50 meals something like that. So, that could be the
scenario where we can pick it up where in terms of this much meals will be serve. So,
say we take 30 meals; 30 meals for paper serving of 30 meals. So, for that we need 30
paper plates in ideal scenario normal scenario we can use one China plate and we will
use it, so it has to be washed 29 times to use for 30 times assuming that first time it is
already washed. So, the functional unit is say 30 serving of meal.

Now what materials and resource are used for it? The materials for the paper plate, of
course the paper is there and they will be some place to be process this might be some
glue because there is a different layers of paper glue together, so there be a process
associate with that. For the China plate: the China plate all the ingredients that go there
that needs to be made in all that. So, what does it take to produce both? We have to make
the list of all the materials, so that is what the kind of your LCI inventory.

Now we have to eat in terms of all the materials that goes into their what is the impact on
environment. So, what are the impacts to the environment that we need to list is there
any waste. Does washing of China plate produces waste? So, when you are washing the
China plate you use you need detergent, the detergent is also coming from somewhere.
The dishwasher if you using a dishwasher you are using energy, you might be using hot
water. So, it is again you are using energy, so all these things has to be there. So, all the
what types of data you need the all sorts of data you can think about in terms of the life
cycle of these two product you need to list them out and then you do LCA exercise to
know which one is better.

(Refer Slide Time: 28:26)

And once you have the data; once you have collected all these data in terms of different
emissions coming out of these, different materials being used, we can find out in terms of
what is the global warming potential. So, that is the impact categories will look at the
environmental impact categories, what is a global warming potential. So, gases in the
atmosphere, global warming is gases in the atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation.
So, what is does it straps the heat from the sun it does not let the heat go away and that is
some of the global warming gases includes water vapor. CO 2 methane ozone NO2 those
are that is one in terms of the impact category.

These are some of impact category we looked at. Abiotic depletion which is a
consumption of nonliving these sources which you are getting consumed. Than human
toxicity potentials; whether it will have harm to the humans from chemicals, in the land,
use how much land is needed. So, those are the impact we look at.

(Refer Slide Time: 29:19)

Eutrophication some of you who have walked who have taken a course on water quality
or even in waste water you may be familiar using the nutrients. Increase in chemical
nutrients containing nitrate and phosphate and that leads to eutrophication problem.
Impact on land and water, overgrowth of plants, killing of organism at the bottom of the
water because of the top level we have so much of an LGA that what and the lower level
the oxygen supply gets a cut off and then there is a we have water usage problem,
Mercury problem, acidification called by acid rain, fuels, low pH. We have the smoke
issues; we are in the winter month right now. So, we will have the smoke in Delhi which
will come we hear about that all the time winter or summer. We have then energy usage
solid waste produced oil and many many more.

So, all these in fact, kind environmental impact categories based on all the emissions that
is coming out due to the all activities associated with production of these materials we
need to like find out the different impact categories.

(Refer Slide Time: 30:25)

So, where do we go from here? And what is the purpose of all these data? We collect all
this data and we look at their environmental impact categories so that as a scientist we
can make recommendations to of the choices that are less impactful, which is the less
impact. And then we can analyze a particular impact and focus on a solution. If we
analyze a particular impact on that particular impact as too much, like we see that this is
a very high environmental footprint, we can as a designer as a environmental scientist
working with the designers with the engineers like a traditional engineers we can come
up with how to really, what we can do.

And as an industrial individual we can take a closer look at how the difference can we
make. So, this is was a kind of just to get you started in terms of like a how this LCA is
done. And we have given it, like I have given you two varies quick examples one of the
mechanical pencil; and the traditional pencil versus one other one was on China plate
versus paper plate just get it thinking off. What are the things goes in, in terms of
developing this LCA inventory and all that.

So, next we will end this module now and then in the next module I will look at a
detailed example. And that example it is a long example which we will see. And in that
example we will go into this more detail, like will go into very very small small steps
that we do and it is so been a really good attention. Of course, you need to look at this
video and after you understand things over here the next video will be much easier. So, if
you need to like a rerun this video I listen it again and again go ahead and do that. And
again I will see you in the next video.

Thank you.