Part 1: LCA Data Quality Assurance – Sensitivity Analysis and Pedigree Matrix
[Int J LCA, OnlineFirst: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2004.03.152.1]
Part 2: Case Study for Chosen Industrial Pumps
[Int J LCA, OnlineFirst: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2004.03.152.2]
Preamble: This series consists of two papers which concern the same LCA case study but present two different problems. The first part is devoted to the quality assessment aspects and presents a proposal of the integration of sensitivity analysis and pedigree matrix in one analysis. The second part presents in detail the results of the comparative LCA case study for industrial pumps. The discussed theoretical considerations are implemented.
Abstract (Part 2)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2004.03.152.2
Goal, Scope and Background. This paper is the second part of the publication which is devoted to comparative LCA analysis of the industrial pumps. The previous paper deals with the methodological aspects concerning quality assessment and forms an independent work. This paper uses practically only the methodological suggestions made there. The main aim of the presented study is to make a comparison between the industrial pumps which are based on two different technologies. The Life Cycle Assessment method is used to check whether the differences of the manufacturing processes influence the level of the potential environmental impact during the whole life cycle of the analysed products.
Methods. The Life Cycle Assessment is carried out using the Ecoindicator99 method. Additionally, an extensive quality analysis of the LCA study is made (Part I). To make the process of an identification of the data easier and faster, they are assigned to a special data documentation form. To ensure the credibility of the LCA results different methods of interpretation are used.
Results and Discussion. The LCA analysis shows clear superiority of the pumps manufactured using modern technology. It seems that this superiority results not only from the differences in the emissions, but also from different characteristics of effectiveness in the usage stage. Thanks to the uncertainty analysis, each LCA result is provided with the range of uncertainty.
Conclusions. The LCA results are supported by different techniques of interpretation: the sensitivity-, the contribution-, the comparative-, the discernability- and the uncertainty analysis. There is strong evidence of the superiority of the pumps based on the modern technology.
Recommendations and Outlook. The main source of the environmental impact in the case of pumps is the usage stage and the consumption of energy. That is why it should be the main area to improve. The LCA results show that actions taken in the usage stage and energy consumption can lead to a considerable reduction of the environmental impacts. |
