Aveny LCA LCA software customized for ETH Zurich (NFP 66 Project)

Transcription

1 Aveny LCA LCA software customized for ETH Zurich (NFP 66 Project) Version 1.0 Manual Aveny GmbH 2012

2 Colophon Title Aveny LCA LCA software customized for NFP 66 Report version 1.0 Date September 2012 Language Copyright English 2012 Aveny GmbH. All rights reserved. If the manual is to be used for other purposes, written consent of Aveny GmbH is needed. Information 2

3 Preface This manual shall assist the utilization of the Aveny LCA tool to compile LCA model of NFP 66 technologies. For information on the LCA framework specifications for the NFP 66 please refer to the NFP 66 LCA guidelines. For more information on the LCA methodology in general please refer to corresponding literature (or see e.g. 3

4 1 Contents 2 Glossary Life Cycle Assessment in a nutshell Background structure of the Aveny LCA tool Tool calculation engine LCA Database (LCI & LCIA) Tool Structure Main sections of the tool Projects (main section) Databases (main section) Admin (main section) (visible to tool administrators only) Projects Goal & Scope Inventory Impact Assessment Databases Ecoinvent DB General Databases (GDB) Project DB (This Project DB) Categories overview (General DB and Project DB) How to carry out an LCA project Create new project Goal & Scope Inventory Information on the added process Create new process Categories and features of each processes type Uncertainty information (for Monte Carlo) Impact Assessment Standard report Monte Carlo report Activity and Permission control (in Projects and Database) Activity Permissions

5 8 Change User Settings ANNEX A1: Process type characteristics Project Assembly Material Residue Water Energy Land Operation Transport Treatment Ecoinvent-type

6 2 Glossary Cradle-to-gate Cradle-to-grave Emission End of life LCA LCI LCIA Life Cycle stages Process Resource LCA including all life cycle stages up to the gate of the production facility of the product (i.e. use and end-of-life is not included) LCA including all life cycle stages Umbrella term for an item that describes a flow from the technosphere (i.e. the production system) to the environment Treatment of a material after its use, i.e. disposal, recycling or reuse Life Cycle Assessment (i.e. methodology for environmental assessments of products, services) Life Cycle Inventory (i.e. materials, resources, emissions). Often just called Inventory. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (i.e. environmental indicator such as climate change ). Various LCIA methods have been developed by different research institutes and environmental institutions The stages a product passes from production to disposal or recycling. The most common division of life cycle stages is: Production / Use / End of Life. However, further subdivisions are possible. The Aveny LCA tool allows to create and use arbitrary Life Cycle stages. Alternatively, Projects can be established with 6 predefined stages: Raw Materials / Production / Packaging / Distribution / Use / End of Life. Umbrella term for industrial products and services (incl. their LCI data), comprising all kinds of materials, energy, transports, end of life treatments etc. Umbrella term for an item that describes a flow from the environment to the technosphere (i.e. the production system) 6

7 Interpretation Manual for Aveny LCA (customized for NFP66) 3 Life Cycle Assessment in a nutshell Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a process of compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs, and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. LCA helps to avoid resolving one environmental problem only to create others elsewhere, by taking a comprehensive approach in one consistent framework: Considering the entire life cycle of a product from the extraction of resources, through production, use, and recycling, up to the disposal of waste Quantifying resources consumed as well as emissions that can be attributed to the product Providing indicators of the product s contribution to a wide range of environmental problems such as climate change, toxic pressures, and resource depletion [European Commission: Life Cycle Thinking and Assessment] The LCA procedures are part of the ISO environmental management standards: ISO 14040:2006 ISO 14044:2006 (replacing the earlier standards ISO to ISO 14043) The Life Cycle Assessment framework consists of four phases: Life Cycle Assessment Framework Goal and scope definition Inventory (LCI) Impact Assessment (LCIA) Figure 1. Phases of a Life Cycle Assessment 7

8 4 Background structure of the Aveny LCA tool 4.1 Tool calculation engine The Aveny LCA (customized for NFP66) is an LCA software by Aveny GmbH. Aveny LCA has been developed especially for browser-based, multi-user LCA projects. 4.2 LCA Database (LCI & LCIA) The background LCA database of the Aveny LCA software is the ecoinvent database, which is the world s largest and most acknowledged database for Life Cycle Inventory data ( containing more that 4000 processes (i.e. materials, electricity, means of transport, etc.) in its latest version v2.2 (August 2012). Each process contains its cradle-to-gate inventory, i.e. all materials, resources and emissions used from resource extraction up to the gate of the production factory. 8

9 5 Tool Structure 5.1 Main sections of the tool Aveny LCA contains two main sections: Projects and Databases Figure 2. Main sections of Aveny LCA Projects (main section) The Projects main section lists the LCA projects of the tool user. A user sees all projects for which he has at least permission status observer (see section 7.2 Permissions for further information). Projects for which a user has no permission are not listed Figure 3. Projects main section Load project Load a project by clicking its project name link (permission status observer or higher required to see project in project list) (#1) Delete project Delete a project by clicking the delete button (permission status manager (responsible) or administrator required) (#2) Create project Create a new project by clicking the link Click to create new project (#3) Copy project Copy an existing project by clicking on the blue (+) button (#4). A project can either be copied as a project (i.e. duplicated) or copied into the database section. Copy as project creates an identical new project. Copy as database creates a new database in the database section, which contains all processes of the copied project (Figure 4). 9

10 Figure 4. Copy project Filter Projects by Customer & Status For easier location of projects, various filters can be applied to the project list (person, status, etc.) Databases (main section) The Database section contains the non-project specific General Databases (GDB). The GDB provide the basic set of processes users can select when creating an LCA project. Note: By convention, the umbrella term process is used for all kind industrial products or services (comprising all kinds of materials, energy, transport, end of life treatments etc.) Figure 5. Database main section Load GDB database Load a GDB database by clicking its project name link (permission status observer or higher required to see GDB in the list) (#1) Delete GDB database Delete a GDB database by clicking the delete button (permission status manager (responsible) or administrator required) (#2). NB: deleting a database removes its processes from all projects that link to the database (i.e. that apply processes of this database) Create GBD database Create a new GDB database by clicking the link Click to create new database (#3) Create GBD database from existing project A project can be transformed into a GDB database by clicking the copy button at a project in the Projects section (see chapter ) Copy GDB database Copy an existing GDB database by clicking on the blue (+) button (#4). 10

11 5.1.3 Admin (main section) (visible to tool administrators only) Figure 6. Tool admin section Tool administrators (#1) can additionally access the Admin section for user management. The admin section is not displayed to normal tool users Create user A new user account can be created (#2) Modify / delete user Existing user accounts can be modified or removed (#3). Tool administrator rights can be provided in this section (edit button). It is possible to have more than one admin Change number of tool users / licenses Increasing / decreasing the maximal number of tool users requires a code which is provided by Aveny GmbH after communicating changes in the number of software licenses (#4) Add / remove categories for process types Add or remove categories for process types in the tool (will be applied to the whole tool, page reload required) (#5) Access to all projects on server Tool administrators have access to all projects in the projects on the server (Permission: Tool admin is equal to normal Admin ). Projects are shown when the All / No Admin switch is on All (#1 in figure below). 1 Figure 7. View all projects (tool administrator) 11

12 5.2 Projects The project section contains the three subsections: Goal & Scope, Inventory, and Impact Assessment Figure 8. Project page Goal & Scope In the Goal & Scope subsection, relevant information for the project and the assessed product can be specified. (The red tabs 'background info & ecoeditor info can be left empty.) 12

13 Figure 9. Goal & Scope subsection of a project General Info tab Project name is the name under which the project will be listed in the projects list. Type, Status and LCA Model developer (person) also appear in the project list Full Name of NFP66 project : Provide the full name of the respective technology project Comments is facultative Functional Unit - tab Products/Output: Specify the products of the modelled technology o Allocation: In case the technology produces more than one product/output, the resource consumption/emissions need to be allocated between the outputs. The sum of allocation must be 100%. Description of allocation criteria: Describe the criteria applied for allocation between multiple products/outputs Functional unit of project: Specify the unit of the project, e.g. annual production, life time production, or unit production Description of functional unit: Describe the project s functional unit in words, e.g. The FU describes the life time production of electricity ( kwh) and heat ( MJ) with a biogas micro turbine System boundaries: Describe what s included and what s excluded in the model, e.g. The model includes all materials & processes used and emissions released from cradle-to-gate. End-of-life of infrastructure and process residues is included. The use of the produced electricity & heat is not part of this model. Databases - tab Select the General Databases (GDB), to which the project shall have access. Note: Each process has access to the Background database ecoinvent DB (ecoinvent processes for the processes used in the tool) as well as the Resource flows (resources directly taken from the environment) and Biosphere flows (emissions to air, water, soil). Background Info & Ecoeditor Info (red tabs) These tabs can be left empty Inventory In the Inventory subsection, all Life Cycle Inventory data is entered for the project. The inventory is defined within separate stages. Depending on the goal & scope, different stages may be appropriate for the model. Goal of LCA Technology Assessment Product Life Cycle Assessment Comparative Assessment 13

14 Infrastructure Production Product 1 Operation Use Product 2 End of Life End of Life Stages templates for Technology Assessment, Product Life Cycle Assessment, Comparative Assessment are provided. Differing / additional stages can be added manually. The End of Life stage is present by default in each project. In case End of Life is not needed in a project, uncheck the respective checkbox. Note: By convention, the umbrella term process is used for all kind industrial products or services (comprising all kinds of materials, energy, transport, end of life treatments etc.) Figure 10. Life Cycle stages Stages In the Stages tab (#1 in Figure 10) the life cycle stages of the project can be defined. Press the Create & add default LC stages button to select a template (#2). Press the Create Stage (#3) button to create a custom life cycle stage. After creation, this stage is added to the project database. It can be added to the project by clicking the +add button (#4). Uncertainty information in the stages can be used for Monte Carlo calculation. In order to show uncertainty entry fields, switch the Standard/Monte Carlo handle to Monte Carlo (#5). See chapter for more information on Uncertainty/Monte Carlo. To open or close all active stages at once, click the respective button (#6). For an overview of the whole project model (all stages & processes) in table form, click the show tree button (#7) All stages except End of Life All stages (except end of life) have the same structure. They can represent any arbitrary stage in the model of the technology (Infrastructure, Operation,...) or product (Production, Use,...). For the sake of clarity, make sure the stage is unambiguously named. 14

15 End of life The End of life stage states the fate of materials after their use and of process residues (i.e. solid waste, waste water, ashes, etc.). The main treatment routes are reuse, recycling, incineration or landfilling. Reuse & Recycling: Reuse and recycling of materials is burden free. Recycling efforts are attributed to the production process of the secondary material, not to the end of life of the material. Incineration: Incineration includes transport to the incineration plant, incineration of material and disposal of incineration residues. Landfilling: Landfilling includes transport to landfill, landfill operations and landfill emissions. Note: The End of Life stage refers to all previous Life Cycle stages. All processes in these stages that have an end of life stage (Assembly, Material, Residue, Water) are shown here, and an end of life treatment can be specified Impact Assessment In the Impact Assessment subsection, the environmental assessment is carried out. There are various environmental indicators (so called Life Cycle Impact Assessment methods, LCIA methods) available for the assessment (#3 in Figure 11). Please see document Implementation of Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods for detailed information on the indicators, available on ). Two kinds of reports are available: standard and Monte Carlo (#1 in Figure 11). The assessment can be carried out for either the whole project or a single stage (#2 in Figure 11). Calculation of single stages helpful for detailed analysis of stages with only small contribution to the total result, since Aveny LCA doesn t show the supply chain tree of processes contributing less than 0.1% to the total result Figure 11. LCIA method selection table in report subsection 15

16 Standard report The standard report provides the Life Cycle Impact Assessment result without the consideration of uncertainty information. Figure 12. Standard report chart 16

17 Figure 13. Standard report table Monte Carlo report The Monte Carlo report provides an analysis of the uncertainty underlying the LCIA result. Figure 14. Monte Carlo report chart 17

18 Figure 15. Monte Carlo report table 5.3 Databases Aveny LCA contains several types of databases. Ecoinvent DB General DBs (various databases possible) Project DB (This Project DB) (one for each project) Ecoinvent DB The ecoinvent database is the background database of Aveny LCA and the projects databases. The ecoinvent database can be browsed by clicking on the DB icon (#5 in Figure 17) and is shown when a new General DB or project DB process is created (see also chapter 6.3.2). Figure 16. ecoinvent database 18

19 5.3.2 General Databases (GDB) The General Databases are the basic databases for LCA projects. For improved overview of the database contents, the database can be expanded / collapsed or filtered by region (#1 in Figure 17). Users with corresponding permission rights to the General DBs can add, modify or delete processes. New processes can be created either be created from scratch (#2), or based on existing GDB processes (#3). New ecoinvent-type background processes can be created and used as building block for a new process of any category (#4). Ecoinvent-type processes provided by the ecoinvent database can be analyzed by clicking on the DB icon (#5) (see also chapter 5.3.1). Figure 17. General Database (GDB) Project DB (This Project DB) Each project contains its own database, in which processes are stored that are created specifically for the respective project. The project DBs are stored within each project and are not listed in the Database main section. Note: A project can be transformed to a General DB (see chapter ). All processes of the project are then copied to a new General DB, which is listed in the Database main section Categories overview (General DB and Project DB) An overview of all categories in the General DB and Project DB is provided in Table 1. Table 1 Categories overview Type name Explanation Example Assembly Equipment or equipment part Engine part, Packaging Materials Basic material (can be part of equipment), Steel, Concrete not consumed when used Residue Accruing residues due to process Solid or liquid waste, Ash, Waste operation water Water Total water use (consumption and flow Tap water, Water from river through) Energy Electricity, heat, energy carriers Avg. Swiss electricity mix at medium 19

20 voltage, heat at industrial furnace, natural gas Land Land occupation Industrial area, Pasture and meadow Residue Accruing residues due to process Solid or liquid waste, Ash, Waste operation water Transport Means of transport Lorry, Train, Ship, Plane Operation Any kind of activities (agricultural, Irrigating, Harvesting, Cleaning industrial, etc.) Treatment End of life treatment process for Reuse of turbine, recycling of steel, Ecoinvent-type Assemblies, Materials, Residues, Water Process that can be used as building block for the above categories landfilling of fly ash Any process from the ecoinvent database or self-defined process In addition to these categories, the resource flows and biosphere flows ( emission to air, emission to water, emission to soil ) are available. These flows represent either untreated resources in nature taken to transform them into a technical product (in its broadest sense), or emissions released to the environment These resource flows and biosphere flows are not processes as no technical process was applied to them, i.e. they are pure flows from the environment to the technosphere or vice versa. All processes provided by the ecoinvent database consist of such flows (or of other ecoinvent processes that consist of these flows). Hence, these are the very basic entities for Life Cycle Assessments. They are seldom used in their pure form, but mostly as basic entities to define the environmental exchanges that any type of the above introduced processes cause. 20

21 6 How to carry out an LCA project 6.1 Create new project Click on the Projects tab (#1). When already working in a project, click first on the Projects tab (#1), then on the home button (#2). In the project main section, click on Click to create new project (#3) (see Figure 18) Figure 18. Create new project 6.2 Goal & Scope In the Goal & Scope section (see Figure 19), information on the project and the assessed technology/product is specified. The minimal information required is: Input field General Info - Tab Project Name Project type Status LCA model developer Full name of NFP66 project Technology description Comments Functional Unit - Tab Products/Output Functional unit of project Description of functional unit System boundaries Databases - tab Add database Background Info - tabs Explanation A meaningful (short) name of your technology model. The model will be listed under this name in the LCA project database of the Aveny LCA software Select: Technology, Product, Comparison Indicates the status of the model (whether in progress or complete) Person responsible for the LCA model Name of NFP66 project as reference Summarizing description of the modeled technology Any comments relevant to the LCA model, such as assumptions, missing data, etc. -Technology Assessment: The produced products or outputs -Product Assessment: - (none) -Comparative Assessment: - (none) -Technology Assessment: e.g. annual production, life time production, unit production, etc. -Product Assessment: e.g. unit, kg, m3, etc. -Comparative Assessment: e.g. unit, kg, m3, etc. Description of the project s functional unit in words Description of what s included and what s excluded in the model, e.g. explicitly list excluded processes and stages. Add databases to increase the number of processes that can be used for the model, e.g. the General NFP66 DB. 21

22 No field mandatory - Ecoeditor Info - tab No field mandatory - Figure 19. Goal & Scope 6.3 Inventory In the Inventory section (see Figure 20), the Life Cycle Inventory of the technology or product(s) is specified. In the Stages tab the life cycle stages of the project can be defined. Press the Create & add default LC stages (#1) stages button to select a template (for Technology Assessment, Product Assessment, Comparative Assessment). Custom stages can be created by pressing the Create Stage (#2) button. After creation, this new stage is added to the project database. It can be added to the project by clicking the +add button (#3). Figure 20. Project Life Cycle - Stages Click on the stage name link to open the respective life cycle stage. 22

23 Life Cycle stages To add a process (i.e. material) or emission from a GDB database or from the project database, click on the add button (#2 in Figure 21) at the respective category (a description of the categories is given in chapter 5.3.4). Nota bene: o The category Project and Project Product/Output (on top of the list) allow to add an existing tool project or project product/output) (-> only those for which the user has permission) o The category Transport (at the bottom of the list) allows to add a transport for the whole stage (both the weight and distance need to be defined). To create a process, click the create process button (#3 in Figure 21). To view all processes available in the project database, GDB, or in ecoinvent, click the DB button (#4 in Figure 21). Figure 21. Product Life Cycle - Stage 'New Stage' Clicking the add button opens the pop up Add item (Figure 22), which lists all available processes of the respective type (e.g. material) in the project database This Project DB and all GBD available for this project (#2.2 in Figure 22). The LCIA button (#2.4 in Figure 22) provides the a preview of the LCIA result of the respective process. By default, the result of the method IPCC2007/Climate Change/GWP 100a are shown. Further methods can be added by clicking the + button in the pop up. The info button (#2.5 in Figure 22) provides information about the process, i.e. custom information for own processes (text entered in the description field of a process, ecoinvent information for ecoinvent processes). 23

24 A process can be selected by clicking on the add button (# 2.6 in Figure 22). Processes can be linked or copied (# 2.1 in Figure 22): Linked: only a link to an already existing process is established. Modifying the original process automatically updates all links Copied: The process is copied. Modifying the original process does not effect the copy Project processes linked from a GDB cannot be modified within the LCA project itself, but only in the respective GDB in the Database section. The geography filter facilitates the location of specific processes in large databases (# 2.3 in Figure 22). Figure 22. Pop-up 'Add item' After adding a process, it appears in the respective stage and category (#5 and #6 in Figure 23). The amount can be specified in the amount field (#7). To remove it from the project, press the remove button (#8). Comments & references specific to this process in the stage can be added by clicking on the comment button (#9). 5 6 Link sign Figure 23. Added Process in a stage The link sign (#link sign) indicates processes that are linked (and not copied into the project). Note: Processes that are linked among each other within the same project do not show this sign. These processes can be modified within the project at every location they are used. Details about the added process are shown in a new tab when clicking on the process name (#6). 24

25 6.3.1 Information on the added process A new, closable, tab opens (#9 in Figure 24), providing general information on the process (#10) and from which ecoinvent processes it is build of (#11). Note: If a process that is linked from a GDB is selected, its characteristics cannot be modified within the project (this is a security measure, as this would modify the basic process in the GDB and may affect other projects that link to this GDB process). To modify processes from the GDB in a project, copy (instead of link) them into the project. Projects from the project DB can be modified as they are only used in this project. Figure 24. Process information Create new process In case the desired process is not yet available in a database, it can be created from ecoinvent building blocks (i.e. raw materials/intermediate products/energy/etc. used, and emissions generated, to produce it). Click on the create process button (#3 in Figure 21). In the pop-up (Figure 25), select the process category type and basic unit, and press the create button. Figure 25. Create Process Pop-up A new tab New Process appears (#12 in Figure 26). General information can be specified in the data entry fields (#13). In order to add LCI data to the process, click the add button behind the respective category (#14). The process can be deleted by clicking the delete button (#15). The process can be copied to a GDB by clicking the Copy Process to GDB button (#15). 25

26 Figure 26. New process tab Categories and features of each processes type Process types have specific characteristics that are represented by categories (see chapter 5.3.4) and further features. A detailed presentation of each process type is given in the Annex (Chapter 9.1) Uncertainty information (for Monte Carlo) In order to enter uncertainty information for Monte Carlo calculations, switch the Standard/Monte Carlo handle in the tool header to Monte Carlo (#1 in Figure 27). This opens a second row below each process, where uncertainty information for this process can be specified (#2). Available uncertainty distributions are Lognormal, Normal, Uniform, and Triangular. The uncertainty parameter entry fields show a green ok for correct and facultative entries, and a red exclamation mark for mandatory or incorrect entries (#2). Figure 27. Specify uncertainty information for Monte Carlo calculation 26

27 6.4 Impact Assessment When all stages contain all required processes to depict the life cycle of the respective product, the environmental impact can be assessed in the Impact Assessment section. Two reports are available: Standard and Monte Carlo (including uncertainty assessment). Select the respective report in the drop down (#1 in Figure 28). Select whether to assess the whole project or only a single stage (#2 in Figure 28). The LCIA method of choice can be selected from a the LCIA table (#3 in Figure 28) Figure 28. Impact Assessment section Standard report The standard LCIA result is presented in a new tab in the Impact Assessment section and can be downloaded to excel (#1 in Figure 29). The result can be shown for the project or for each product/output separately (#2). The result is shown in bar chart (#3) and table format (see Figure 30). 27

28 Figure 29. Impact Assessment result bar chart figure Figure 30. Impact Assessment result table Monte Carlo report The Monte Carlo LCIA result is presented in a new tab in the report section and can be downloaded to excel (#1 in Figure 31). The result can be shown for the project or for each product/output 28

29 separately (#2). The result is shown in bar chart (#3) and table format. Clicking the Show Full Table button shows the full list of monte carlo scores (see Figure 32). Figure 31. Monte Carlo result chart Figure 32. Monte Carlo result table 29

30 7 Activity and Permission control (in Projects and Database) In the project and database section, activities and permissions functionalities are provided 7.1 Activity The activity bar contains the subsections History, Active Users, and Chat History: All modifications of the current project or database are listed chronologically and identify Time / Date User Location in project or database Process names and values affected Active Users: List of all users currently working with the project / database (i.e. project / database is open in their account) Chat: Real-time chat between all active users of a project or database Figure 33. Activity bar 7.2 Permissions The permission bar provides the permission information and modification settings for a project or database. The following permission levels are available: Manager (Responsible) Admin Editor Observer The creator of a project is Manager (Responsible) by default. Managers (Responsible) and Admins have full rights over the respective. Editors can modify a project but not delete it. Observers can see all project information but neither modify nor delete it. Note: Permission levels are project specific. Users without permission to a project cannot see it in their projects lists. Figure 34. Permissions bar 30

31 Table 2. Overview of permissions levels Permission level See project in project list Delete project Modify project permissions Modify project data View project data Manager (Responsible) Administrator Editor - - Observer No permission Change User Settings A user can change his account settings by clicking his user name link Figure 35. User Settings Link Figure 36. User Settings Menu 31

32 9 ANNEX 9.1 A1: Process type characteristics Project A project represents a whole LCA project in the tool. A project product/output represents a product/output from a technology LCA project in the tool. NB: Existing LCA projects and project products/outputs can be added to a project like a process (see chapter Error! Reference source not found.). Only projects to which the user has permission can be added (users with tool admin status can add all projects as they have implicit permission to all projects). When an existing project or project product/output is added to a project, only users with permissions can open it. 32

33 9.1.2 Assembly An assembly represents an equipment composed of other assemblies or materials. Besides the materials it is made of, it also contains all materials and energy consumed and emissions produced for its production. The transport of the assembly to its destination can also be specified. Assemblies feature the categories: assembly, non consumable, residue, water, energy, land, operation, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil, transport and treatment. NB 1: Self-references of assemblies are not allowed, i.e. an assembly cannot contain itself. Assemblies require end-of-life treatment after their use, hence they appear in the Life Cycle Stage End of Life (see Chapter Error! Reference source not found.). Commonly, the end of life of an assembly is its disassembly or reuse. Consequently, the materials of which the assembly is made of need a specific end of life treatment such as recycling, landfilling or incineration. Intermediate End of Life treatment can be defined in case part of the assembly is already disassembled during production or use. The amount appearing in the End of Life stage is reduced by the fraction defined here. 33

34 9.1.3 Material Materials represent basic materials such as steel or concrete. Besides the material, also the transport of the material to its destination can be specified. Materials feature the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil, transport, and treatment. Materials require end-of-life treatment after their use, hence they appear in the Life Cycle Stage End of Life (see Chapter Error! Reference source not found.). Intermediate End of Life treatment can be defined in case part of it is already treated during production or use. The amount appearing in the End of Life stage is reduced by the fraction defined here. 34

35 9.1.4 Residue Residues represent residues from production or use processes. Residues do not have a production life cycle inherent (they were not produced as a product, but accrue during the production or use of a product). Residues features the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil, transport, and treatment. Residues require end-of-life treatment, hence they appear in the Life Cycle Stage End of Life (see Chapter Error! Reference source not found.). Intermediate End of Life treatment can be defined in case part of it is already treated during production or use. The amount appearing in the End of Life stage is reduced by the fraction defined here. 35

36 9.1.5 Water Water represents water consumption. Water features the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil, transport, and treatment. Water requires end-of-life treatment, hence they appear in the Life Cycle Stage End of Life (see Chapter Error! Reference source not found.). Intermediate End of Life treatment can be defined in case part of it is already treated during production or use. The amount appearing in the End of Life stage is reduced by the fraction defined here. 36

37 9.1.6 Energy Energy represent electricity, heat and energy carriers. Fuels feature the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil. NB: Fuel transport needs to be specified as ecoinvent-type (unit ton-kilometer). Since fuels can have different base units (besides kg also MJ or Nm3), it is not possible to define transport directly. 37

38 9.1.7 Land Land represents land occupation or land transformation. Land features the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil. 38

39 9.1.8 Operation Operation represents any kind of activities (agricultural, industrial, etc). Operation features the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil. 39

40 9.1.9 Transport Transport processes represent transporting of a good with any kind of vehicle. They feature the unit ton-kilometer (tkm), meaning the transport of one ton of material with a specific means of transport. For all process types defined in kg (Material, Residue, Water) and for Assemblies (which calculate their weight from the underlying Material/Residues/Water processes), the tool automatically transforms this tkm-unit into km (by multiplying the respective amount with the tkm). Hence, the transport of these process types can be specified in plain distances (e.g. km). For process types with units different from kg, transport needs to be defined in tkm with an ecoinvent type -process. For transport of whole stages, both weight and distance needs to be defined. Transport features the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil. 40

41 Treatment Treatments (End of Life) represent processes to treat materials in the Life Cycle Stage End of Life such as plastics incineration, metal recycling, or ash landfilling. In the End of Life Stage, they can be applied to the respective materials (Assembly, Material, Residue, Water) (see Chapter Error! Reference source not found.). In case of intermediate treatment of a material (before it gets to the End of Life stage), the treatment is defined directly in the respective material (see Assembly, Material, Residue, Water). For the disassembly of assemblies, treatment processes with basic unit count are required. They apply per unit assembly. For processes defined in kg (Material, Residue, Water), treatment processes with basic unit kg are required. They apply per kg of the respective material. End of life processes features the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil. 41

42 Ecoinvent-type Ecoinvent type processes represent processes that do not yet have a specific function in the tool. They contain the basic structure of processes as defined in the underlying LCA database ecoinvent. These processes can have any unit used in the underlying ecoinvent database they can be used as building blocks in any of other processes. As ecoinvent type processes do not have a specified function, the tool does not know what they represent (e.g. material, a fuel, or a means of transport). Hence, in order to give an ecoinvent-type such a specific function, a process of the desired type (material) has to be created and then filled with the respective ecoinvent type process. All processes in the LCA database are available as ecoinvent type. Further, own ecoinvent type processes can be created. Ecoinvent type processes feature the categories: ecoinvent-type, resource, emissions to air, emissions to water, emissions to soil. 42