# Presentation: 225580

## A Life Cycle Assessment Approachfor EvaluatingFuture Nanotechnology Applications

**Shannon M. Lloyd**
- U.S. EPA 2004 Nanotechnology Science to
- Achieve Results (STAR) Progress Review
- Workshop – Nanotechnology and the Environment II
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- August 18-20,2004

- A Life Cycle Assessment Approachfor EvaluatingFuture Nanotechnology Applications

## Motivation for Applying LCA

- Reduce material and energy consumption
- Reduce environmental discharge
- Use LCD early in product life cycle
- Optimize economic and social value
- Identify regulatory needs
- Address public concerns

## Slide 3

## LCA Methods Used 

- Process-based
- developed by SETAC, U.S. EPA and ISO
- quantifies physical flows of energy, resources and environmental effects
- Captures direct effects
- Streamlined software
- EIO-LCA
- developed by CMU’s Green Design Initiative
- driven by the interrelationships among 491 sectors of the US economy
- quantifies inputs and effects by relating economic activity to public datasets
- captures direct and indirect effects

**Notes:**
The two primary types of LCA that are used included process-based LCA models and input-output-based LCA models.  In our work, we use conventional process-based LCA, streamlines process-based LCA software, and the economic-input-output LCA model developed at Carnegie Mellon.  I will give a brief description of each of these.

## Process-based LCA

- Unit
- Process
- or
- Activity

- INPUTS:

- OUTPUTS:

- materials

- energy

**Notes:**
The first type of LCA method we employ is conventional process-based life cycle assessment.

With process-based life cycle assessment, all inputs and outputs are identified and calculated for each unit process or activity of interest

This seems quite simple....

## Streamlined Software

- INPUTS:
- Bill of materials
- Process details
- Product output

- OUTPUTS:
- Materials used
- Energy used
- Water effluents
- Airborne emissions
- Solid waste
- Other releases

**Notes:**
Several software packages have been created to streamline the LCA process.  

Typical LCA software incorporates numerous life cycle inventory matrices which include an inventory of all of the inputs and outputs associated with a particular process or activity or material input.  Essentially you input a bill of material and information about the processes used to create a product and the software calculates the associated resource requirements and environmental outputs.

It can be difficult to find software that includes enough information about all of the processes that you want to include in your analysis.  

Furthermore, with process-based LCA models (both conventional models and streamlined software) it is difficult (if not impossible) to capture all supply-chain effects.  So, these methods tend to underestimate production effects.

## EIO-LCA

- Power generation and supply

- All other sectors

- Iron and steel mills

- Motor vehicle parts mfg

- Auto and light truck mfg

- Materials used
- Energy used
- Water effluents
- Airborne emissions
- Solid waste
- Other releases

- Public
- datasets

- Economic
- Input-Output
- Matrix

**Notes:**
Both the direct and indirect economic activity associated with a purchase are then related to the unit environmental output per unit economic activity to calculate the total environmental effects across the entire supply chain for purchases in any commodity sector of the U.S. economy.

One of the main limitations of using the EIO-LCA model is that it EIO-LCA does not distinguish between different grades or types of materials produced in the same sector. sector. For example, the actual supply chain implications associated with refining virgin PGM may be substantially different than refining an equal value of secondary PGM or silver. However, all three are included in the same sector.

Each of the three LCA methods have unique strengths and limitations.  In our studies, we employ the methods that we feel most accurately and appropriately represents the process or activity of interest.  Furthermore, we sometimes use multiple LCA methods to help assess uncertainty in a particular study.

## Hybrid LCA

- Standard Materials and Processes

- Unique Materials and Processes

## Applications

- Life Cycle Implications of Using Nanocompositesfor Automotive Body Panel Weight Reduction
- Life Cycle Implications of Using Nanofabrication to Position and Stabilize Nanoscale PGM Particlesin Automotive Catalysts

## Life Cycle Implications of Using Nanocomposites for Automotive Body Panel Weight Reduction

- - Example Results -

## Modeled Product Performance

- Predicted elastic modulus vs. filler content based on general Halpin-Tsai model

## Life Cycle Supply Chain Effects

- Source:  Lloyd and Lave, ES&T, Vol. 37, No. 15, pp. 3458-3466, 2003

- (one year’s fleet of vehicles)

## Petroleum Production & Combustion

## Value to Producers/Consumers

## Social Value

- (using $15/tC)

## Assessment of LCA Framework

- Incorporated:
- multiple LCA models.
- technology forecasting to extend beyond current products.
- valuation techniques to extend beyond environmental inventories.
- expert elicitation to characterize expected impacts.
- Established a framework that can be used to:
- make more informed decisions throughout R&D.
- compare current products to those expected from emerging technologies.
- help address public concerns about emerging technologies.
- Contributed:
- a new approach for performing anticipatory LCA.

## Assessment of LCA Framework

- Available Information
- General LCA Modeling
- Prospective LCA Modeling
- Nanotechnology LCA Modeling

## Available Information

- General LCA Challenges

- Data management and access
- Uncertainty in deterministic LCA
- Transparency
- Time requirements
- Incorporating into nanotechnology risk analysis
- Collaborative design
- Spatial considerations
- Linear relationship
- Occupational safety and health

## Available Information

- Prospective LCA Challenges

- Defining relevant future states
- Incorporating learning curves
- Technology adoption
- Technology interactions
- Forecasting life cycle processes and activities
- Radically different technologies
- Gap between scientific knowledge and understanding of environmental and human

## Available Information

- Nanotechnology LCA Challenges

- Establishing an inventory for nanomaterials and nanoprocesses
- Determine if risks are qualitatively/quantitatively different

## Incorporating LCA product life cycle

## Incorporating LCA in nanotechnology risk assessment

- Emissions
- from
- anthropogenic
- sources

- Ambient
- concentration
- in air, water,
- and soil

- Exposure

- Dose

- Risk
- to human
- health and
- ecosystems

- Fate and
- transport
- models

- Exposure
- assessment
- models

- Dose –
- response
- models

- Life cycle inventory

- Life cycle assessment

- Technology forecasting

- Influence R&D