Life Cycle Assessment Cradle to Grave Analysis

What is a Life Cycle Assessment? Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) –Life Cycle Analysis –“Cradle to Grave” Comprehensive accounting of a products “flows” to and from the environment –Qualitative vs. Quantitative –As simple or as complex as desired Uses of LCA –“Greeness” of a product or process –Comparisons of technology –Feasibility Value of LCA’s for Scientific Inquiry –Bridges science, individual and corporate responsibility, planning and thinking, recycling and for some reason students love it… Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) –Life Cycle Analysis –“Cradle to Grave” Comprehensive accounting of a products “flows” to and from the environment –Qualitative vs. Quantitative –As simple or as complex as desired Uses of LCA –“Greeness” of a product or process –Comparisons of technology –Feasibility Value of LCA’s for Scientific Inquiry –Bridges science, individual and corporate responsibility, planning and thinking, recycling and for some reason students love it…

Stages of an LCA

It’s not a Cycle!!!

Recycling

Environmental Impact throughout Lifecycle Inputs –Energy –Raw materials Outputs –Emissions to air –Emissions to water –Solid waste Health & Safety Inputs –Energy –Raw materials Outputs –Emissions to air –Emissions to water –Solid waste Health & Safety

Example: Automobile

Example: EtOH

to page 4to page 2 Brine extraction - Brine purification - Brine electrolysis - HCl production - brine H2H2 NaOH Cl 2 HCl Natural gas extraction - Natural gas processing - natural gas Crude oil extraction - Oil refining - crude oil naphtha Dehydrogenation - Catalytic reforming - ethylene propylene butenes pygas H2H2 butadiene benzenetoluenexylenes p-xylene separation - pipeline ethylene pipeline propylene pentane Steam reforming - Ammonia production - Cracking - Hydrogenation - cyclohexane syngas ammonia H2H2 Methanol production - Acetic acid production - methanol acetic acid chlorine electrolytic hydrogen hydrogen chloride pentane toluene p-xylene benzene cracker hydrogen propylene ethylene butadiene methanol natural gas carbon monoxide reformer hydrogen ammonia CO to page 1 Page 3 to page 4 Example: Plastics

to page 5 to page 3to page 1 Oxidation - nitric acid Aniline production - aniline Acrylonitrile production - acrylonitrile HCN production - HCN Cumene production - Catalytic rearrangement - acetone phenol cumene ethylene propylene ammonia natural gas benzene Nitrobenzene production - hydrogen Acetone cyanohydrin production - acetone cyanohydrin acrylonitrile phenol acetone acetone cyanohydrin Ethylbenzene production - Styrene production - Propylene oxide production - ethylbenzene styrene propylene oxide styrene propylene oxide Ethylene oxide production - Ethylene glycol production - Propylene polymerisation - Oriented film extrusion - Injection moulding - Polymerisation for LDPE - Blow moulding - Film extrusion - Polymerisation for LLDPE - Polymerisation for HDPE - Pipe extrusion - Blow moulding - ethylene ethylene oxide ethylene glycol ethylene oxideethylene glycol PP resin LDPE resin HDPE resin LLDPE resin LDPE bottles LDPE film HDPE pipe HDPE bottles OPP film PP mouldings propylene Page 4 to page 5 from page 3 Example: Plastics

to page 7 to page 5 to page 1 Polymerisation for EPS - Polymerisation for GPPS - Polymerisation for HIPS - Thermoforming - EPS GPPS HIPS PS trays Butadiene polymerisation - polybutadiene styrene butadienepentane ABS mass polymerisation - ABS graft copolymer production - ABS polymerisation - Compounding - SAN production - SAN acrylonitrile ABS styrene Adiponitrile production - Adipic acid production - Cyclohexanol production - Hexamethylene diamine production - Nylon 66 salt prod’n - Nylon 66 Production - Compounding - Hexamethylene diamine production - nylon 66 salt nylon 66 glass filled nylon 66 adipic acid cyclohexanol adiponitrile hydrogenacrylonitrile cyclohexane nitric acid butadiene natural gas ammonia glass fibre Page 6 to page 7 from page 5 Example: Plastics

to page 8to page 6 to page 1 Allyl chloride production - Epichlorohydrin production - Bisphenol-A production - Liquid epoxy resin prod’n - propylene chlorine acetone allyl chloride epichlorohydrin liquid epoxy resinbisphenol-A phenol Phosgene production - Polycarbonate production - carbon monoxide chlorine phosgenepolycarbonate On-site steam generation - steam On-site electricity generation - electricity methanol aniline Formaldehyde production - MDA production - MDI production - formaldehye MDA MDI toluene nitric acid hydrogen Dinitrotoluene production - TDA production - TDI production - dinitrotoluene TDA TDI Page 7 to page 8 from page 6 Example: Plastics

to page 7 to page 1 ethylene oxide propylene oxide propylene Polyol production- (A wide variety of materials are used - only a small sample are shown here) Animal fat production - Glycerol production - Saponification - Sugar production - Sucrose production - glycerolpolyols TDI MDI pentane Polyurethane rigid foam production Polyurethane flexible foam production PUR rigid foam PUR flexible foam methanol HCl Methyl chloride production - Chlorosilanes production - Silicone production - Silicon production - Coke production - Coal mining & processing - Wood growing & harvesting Charcoal production - silicones Quartz mining - to page 9 Contact: Oxidation - Hydrogenation - cyclohexane phenol cyclohexanone Oxime production - Caprolactam production - Nylon 6 production - Compounding - oxime caprolactam nylon 6 glass filled nylon 6 glass fibre Page 8 to page 9 from page 7 Example: Plastics

to page 8 to page 1 styrene butadiene ethylene acetic acid propylene acrylonitrile Latex polymerisation - Vinyl acetate production - Vinyl acetate dispersion production - Acrylic acid production - Acrylic acid ester production - Acrylic dispersion production - styrene-butadiene dispersion vinyl acetate dispersion acrylic dispersions Acrylic acid production - Contact: Contact: Contact: Page 9 from page 8 Example: Plastics

Impact Assessment Human health Environmental effects Depletion of resources Human health Environmental effects Depletion of resources

The Toothbrush…