Skip to main content
Fachgebiete
Automobil + Motoren Bauwesen + Immobilien Business IT + Informatik Elektrotechnik + Elektronik Energie + Nachhaltigkeit Finance + Banking Management + Führung Marketing + Vertrieb Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe Versicherung + Risiko
DE
EN
Bücher
Zeitschriften
Themenseiten
Organisationspsychologie Projektmanagement Marketing Smart Manufacturing
Weitere Formate
Podcasts Webinare Technik Webinare Wirtschaft Kongresse Veranstaltungskalender Awards
Jetzt Einzelzugang starten
Zugang für Unternehmen
Referenzkunden
SLX-Digitalkonferenz: Zukunftswerkstatt 2024

Mehr Umsatz mit Top-Kontakten

Am 7. Mai erfahren Sie, wie Vertriebsteams Leadgenerierung, Leadnurturing und Leadstrategien effizient steuern können.
Erweiterte Suche
Anmelden
nach oben

2002 | Buch

Introduction Kapitel lesen Erstes Kapitel lesen

The Computational Structure of Life Cycle Assessment

verfasst von: Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh

Verlag: Springer Netherlands

Buchreihe : Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science

Enthalten in: Professional Book Archive

Einloggen, um Zugang zu erhalten
insite
SUCHEN

Über dieses Buch

Life Cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for environmental decision-support in relation to products from the cradle to the grave. Until now, more emphasis has been put on the inclusion quantitative models and databases and on the design of guidebooks for applying LCA than on the integrative aspect of combining these models and data. This is a remarkable thing, since LCA in practice deals with thousands of quantitative data items that have to be combined in the correct manner. For this, one needs mathematical rules and algorithmic principles for carrying out an LCA.
This book presents the first coherent treatment of the mathematical and algorithmic aspects of LCA. These computational aspects are presented in matrix form, so that a concise and elegant formulation is achieved. This form, moreover, provides a platform for further extension of analysis using perturbation theory, structural theory and economic input-output analysis.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction
Abstract
This chapter introduces the aim of this book and motivates the importance of its topic. It does so in relation to a brief introduction of life cycle assessment (LCA), in which the various types of activities are outlined as well. Finally, the structure of the book is presented, along with a reading guide.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 2. The basic model for inventory analysis
Abstract
In this chapter, the elementary formalism of the inventory analysis will be developed. It is based upon the simplifications that have been discussed by Guinée et al. (2002, p.III–15 ff.), i.e. a linear treatment of a steady-state situation. Approaches towards accounting for non-linearities and dynamic situations are discussed in Chapter 9. One could consider to start with the general model, and discuss the simplified model as a special case. This, however, would complicate the analytical treatment considerably, and it would moreover ignore that virtually all LCA studies, textbooks, software and databases are based on the simplified model. The general model is at present only an academic ideal, of which the practical applicability in concrete case studies is doubtful.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 3. The refined model for inventory analysis
Abstract
The basic model for inventory analysis presented in Chapter 2 is appealing for reasons of simplicity and generality. In practice, however, things are more complicated for a variety of reasons, some of which have been listed already in Section 2.4. This calls for adaptations of the matrix approach. This chapter discusses the most important situations that lead to a readjustment of the model or its solution. It also shows how the formalism can be used for less trivial processes and flows, such as those relating to transport.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 4. Advanced topics in inventory analysis
Abstract
This chapter deals with some quite sophisticated topics. The material is not essential for an understanding of the computational structure of LCA per se,but it points out some interesting connections to alternative approaches to LCA.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 5. Relation with input-output analysis
Abstract
There is an interesting analogy between the technology matrix and the inventory problem on the one hand and an analytical tool for investigating industrial dependencies on the other hand. This latter type of analysis is called input-output analysis, or sometimes inter-industry analysis, and it has been introduced by Wassily Leontief around 1930. This chapter discusses the basic principles of input-output analysis (IOA) as originally introduced by Leontief, with an emphasis on its environmental extensions, and proceeds to discuss to important applications of IOA in relation to LCA: replacement of LCA by IOA, and combination of LCA and IOA. This chapter does not provide a comprehensive treatment of IOA; for this, the reader is referred to texts like Miller & Blair (1985) and Duchin & Steenge (1999).
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 6. Perturbation theory
Abstract
There is an extensive theoretical literature on the influence of perturbation of coefficients of matrices on solutions of systems of equations; see for instance Atkinson (1989) and in particular Stewart & Sun (1990). This theory can be used for a number of interesting subjects in LCA. First, the coefficients that describe the unit processes and define the technology matrix and the intervention matrix often suffer from uncertainty. A statistical treatment of the propagation of these uncertainties into uncertainties of scaling factors or environmental interventions is obviously important. The issue of uncertainties in LCA has been addressed by many authors. Here, we will restrict the discussion to generally applicable treatments, such as Heijungs (1994, 1996), Huijbregts (1998), Roš (1998) and Ciroth (2001), but the text presents many insights that have not been discussed within LCA before. Second, approaches have been developed under the name of marginal analysis or perturbation analysis (Heijungs, 1994) to investigate options for product improvement by means of perturbation-theoretic considerations. Finally, the influence of round-off in data and limited computer accuracy can also be addressed with perturbation-theoretic concepts. As far as we know, this issue has not been addressed before within the LCA-literature.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 7. Structural theory
Abstract
A technology matrix can be said to be a compilation of process data, a database. One must keep in mind, however, that the processes are linked to each other. It is not a database of processes, but a database of linked processes. The linkage of the processes is expressed in terms of economic flows, produced by one process, absorbed by a different process. A technology matrix therefore contains more than process data: it also contains information on the structure of the interindustry dependence of processes. This is also true for input-output analysis (see Chapter 5): Leontief’s grand work bears the title The structure of American economy. This chapter will discuss approaches towards exploring the structure of a life cycle or product system. The background of such explorations is provided by something that we will call structural theory. It is a topic that has hardly been addressed in the context of LCA. Huele & Van den Berg (1998) and Le Téno (1999) probably present the only approaches in which the analysis of the structure of an LCA-database is addressed. Structural theory can be said to be the least-developed topic. This chapter can therefore not provide a state-of-the-art review. We can do no better than discuss a number of approaches that have been described, that can be borrowed from related fields of study (like input-output analysis), or that we believe to be promising.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 8. Beyond the inventory analysis
Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss the computational aspects of the phases and elements of the ISO-framework for LCA which may take place after the inventory analysis. In principle, this concerns the phases impact assessment and interpretation. However, by treating the statistical analysis of the inventory analysis in the previous chapter, as an integral aspect of the inventory analysis, a substantial part of the theoretical part of the interpretation has already been discussed. Moreover, a large number of issues for interpretation deal with procedures, quality checks or reiterations of previous steps. Those issues obviously fall outside the scope of this book. This chapter thus deals with the impact assessment, including its statistical analysis, and selected elements of the interpretation.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 9. Further extensions
Abstract
So far, the theory has been based on a number of simplifying assumptions:
  • technologies are linear;
  • the analysis is based on the steady-state situation;
  • there is no spatial differentiation of interventions or impacts.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Chapter 10. Issues of implementation
Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss a number of topics that relate not so much to the theoretical mathematical aspects of the LCA, but rather to practical implementational aspects. This chapter does not present a complete discussion of algorithms, programming details, or other technical issues. For this, the reader is referred to books like Press et al. (1992). Here, we will only address certain specific issues that arise mainly by the special circumstances that are offered by LCA.
Reinout Heijungs, Sangwon Suh
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
The Computational Structure of Life Cycle Assessment
verfasst von
Reinout Heijungs
Sangwon Suh
Copyright-Jahr
2002
Verlag
Springer Netherlands
Electronic ISBN
978-94-015-9900-9
Print ISBN
978-90-481-6041-9
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9900-9