The life cycle analysis is the evaluation of materials used for the elaboration of a product, the manufacturing process, the inputs that it needs to finish the product, as well as all the waste that is generated from these activities.
In this stage the factors that affect society in general are identified, due to the emission of polluting agents in the soil, water and air.
The crisis in the energy sector and environmental factors were the triggers that led to these practices, the use of non-renewable natural resources, the total or partial reincorporation of waste products into the process, partial recovery of the energy used in the Waste disposal was a preponderant factor for life cycle analysis.
The demanding market requires suppliers to conserve the environment and natural resources, each supplier needs to know with some accuracy what the environmental impact of the products generated will be due to the legal, social and economic commitments that derive from these results.
It should be mentioned that the economic impact of an organization that has been involved in the degradation of business image due to environmental impact can cause significant losses and low demand for its product.
The LCA methodology aims to comply with terms of objectivity and transparency, the main goal is to use the data obtained in the best way to specify the environmental impacts, identify them, analyze them and be able to control them or, where appropriate, reduce them.
Background
In the 1950s, input-output analysis was created as part of economic planning, obtaining its greatest application until the 1970s in the area of environmental difficulties, when the 1980s arrived. s The issue of environmental pollution is ruined by the oil boom and its multiple uses in everyday life. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, due to the accelerated degradation of the ecosystem, there was an urgent need to have measurement techniques for the impacts derived from manufacturing activities.
The first studies were carried out to measure emissions to air and water, nowadays studies are carried out at the Center for Environmental Studies at Leiden University and the LCA Working Group of the Nordic Council of Ministers on food packaging and fast food beverages, verifying their quality characteristics, making them more open to LCA's field of application.
What is LCA?
It is a methodological system that identifies the environmental impact that a product will have during its life cycle, that is, from when its raw materials are collected until it is discarded by the final consumer.
Each socially responsible organization must identify and calculate the environmental impact that the elaboration, distribution, sale and disposal of the product will entail.
The basis for the correct operation of this principle is to describe in detail each of the stages that a product goes through, including possible recycling or disposal, within the main stages we can find:
- Extraction of raw materials: In this item all the activities and resources used in the extraction will be identified, such as: the use of energy, soil erosion, the greenhouse effect, the spilling of pollutants whose toxicity levels are high, chemical treatments to matter such as cast iron, alloy, etc. and the means of transportation (prior to manufacturing). Usually the generators with the greatest environmental impact are raw materials of mineral origin.Manufacturing: The process of transforming raw materials into a finished product is included, in this case the main pollutants are derived from excessive energy consumption and the waste they generate of this activity for example: Industrial type wastewater, Similar to urban, inert and dangerous solids.Service provided by the product throughout its useful life to the consumer, the predominant factor at this stage is that of energy consumption, most of which come from non-renewable sources that make significant emissions to the environment, thus creating a greenhouse effect. Product is reincorporated into the process in search of recovery of the same or some component after losing its functionality and being discarded by the final consumer, at this stage the consumption of natural resources and energy is reduced. Waste disposal: The product was classified and not it can be returned to the manufacturing process, so it is discarded as waste, used when it was not possible to carry out an adequate recovery. These stages are defined under the concept of cradle to grave “Cradle to grave”.
There are other concepts handled in the LCA such as From the cradle to the door "Cradle to gate".
It is an analysis that is not carried out in such a methodical way, only the inputs and outputs of raw materials are evaluated, as well as their distribution, it does not consider impacts caused by the use and final disposal
Another concept used is From the cradle to the cradle “Cradle to Cradle”.
This concept is characterized by emphasizing the fact that once the product has been discarded, all its raw materials can be extracted to restart the life cycle, environmental impacts are identified but are significantly reduced due to the recovery of material.
The LCA concept is developed within the field of international environmental management, but has found a field of application in various disciplines such as: quality management, clean industry, ecodesign, industrial ecology
LCA is a support tool for making environmental impact decisions such as: developing a new product within an organization
Who regulates ACV?
The international organization for ISO standardization is in charge of administering environmental management standards, among which are the following:
UNE-EN ISO 14040. Environmental Management. Life cycle analysis. Principles and frame of reference. December 2006.
UNE-EN ISO 14044. Environmental Management. Life cycle analysis.
Requirements and guidelines. December 2006. ISO 14044 replaced ISO 14041, 14042 and 14043.
How is a LCA study done?
The ISO-14040 standard makes mention that a LCA project has to be made up of four phases: Objectives and scope of the study, inventory analysis, impact analysis and interpretation.
How a LCA is performed (Life Cycle Analysis)
* ACV phases, ISO 14040 (1997)
Objective and scope of the study
At this stage the reasons for carrying out the study will be defined as well as the objectives to be achieved, a detailed description of the main function of the system will be carried out and will be analyzed.
The limits of the system will be clearly delimited as: the necessary economic resources, the data that will be handled, the exclusion judgments, among others.
Inventory analysis
The procedures used will be identified, an information retrieval will be carried out that does not collaborate to make a quantification of the environmental impacts that will be generated derived from the exit of waste or energy, gases, noise, radiation.
In this phase the quality and quantity of emissions and pollutants generated by each product, or by-product generated, will be identified.
Impact analysis (AICV)
According to ISO 14042, this stage is made up of two groups of elements, those of an optional nature and those of a mandatory nature.
The elements that are considered mandatory are:
Impact categories: (Gas emission, acidification, factor of the chemical characteristics of the product are taken into account)
Classification: Information is assigned to each specification according to the expected environmental impact, that is, the environmental consequences that will result from product development.
Characterization: The impact factors of each item are modeled.
The elements considered as non-mandatory are:
Normalization: The environmental impact is quantified based on a reference such as geographic location.
Grouping: The indicators will be cataloged
Weighting: A relevance factor is assigned to each impact category, the summation is made to obtain the global environmental index.
Data quality analysis: The results are analyzed, used in comparative analyzes.
Interpretation
The inventory analysis with the impact evaluation are compared and mixed, the deductions are used to make the corresponding recommendations, it is precisely located what is the part of the life cycle of a product where the highest pollutant emissions are made, are taken the decisions necessary to make any improvement to the system or cycle.
Categories of affectation due to environmental contamination
The categories where the impact of the contamination is reflected are listed below.
Decrease in natural resources
Energy and biotic resources are included, the use of the resource and the existing reserve are taken into account, also whether or not it is a non-renewable resource and, if so, its renewal time, the extraction time of said resource and an estimated time is projected in which the same rhythm can continue.
Land use
Preponderant factor to carry out any type of activity, the loss of the habitat that derives from the extinction of a great diversity of flora and fauna, the industries, the urbanization and the practice of agriculture and excessive logging, have led to the minimization and even elimination of natural ecosystems.
Climate change
The greenhouse effect is caused in the following way: The energy emitted by the sun in the form of light and heat is absorbed by the earth, which returns it in the form of an infrared, derived from the existence of many polluting gases, this heat is absorbed by the atmosphere causing global warming.
Atmospheric Ozone Depletion
Ozone is a protective layer or filter that our planet possesses, when this filter is thinned due to the appearance of pollutants, the UV-B rays that reach the planet's surface are greater, which derives from the appearance of numerous diseases in the humans. The slow decomposition of plastics has an impact on people's health, natural resources, the environment, both the natural ecosystem and urbanization.
Environmental degradation, actual and potential impact
It is necessary to define that the real impact is that given the current circumstances that occurred in the future and as potential, the possible scenarios that may arise as long as a series of events and / or combinations occur.
When making a projection to the potential impact, we can formulate solutions, but on many occasions they are oversized.
The real impact must be projected based on factors such as temperature, the existence of pollutants, the existing concentration, and weather conditions.
A detailed description of the general characteristics of the affected population should be made, compiling data such as age, gender, and health status, in order to have a broader projection regarding the average affectation of each individual with different physical characteristics.
THANKS
I want to thank God for allowing me one more day to live, the Orizaba Technological Institute for giving me an excellent academic training at the undergraduate level and now opening the doors to me in the postgraduate area, to the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) for helping me To fulfill my dreams, to Dr. Fernando Aguirre and Hernández for opening my eyes to a world full of possibilities and vaguely explored paths.
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