Page 19 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

4 A. Singh et al.
Table 1 Overview of LCA methodological steps (Adapted from Guinée 2004)
Phase Steps Main result
Goal and scope Procedure Functional unit, alternatives
definition Goal definition compared
Scope definition
Function, functional unit, alternative and
reference flows
Inventory Procedure Inventory table, other
analysis Economy—environmental system boundary indication (e.g., missing
Flow diagram flows)
Format and data categories
Data quality
Data collection and relating data to unit processes
Data validation
Cutoff and data estimation
Multifunctionality and allocation
Calculation method
Impact Procedures Environmental profile
assessment Selection of impact categories Normalized environmental
profile
Selection of characterization methods: category Weighting profile
indicators, characterization models
Classification
Characterization
Normalization
Grouping
Weighting
Interpretation Procedure Well-balanced conclusion
Consistency check and recommendations
Completeness check
Contribution analysis
Perturbation analysis
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis
Conclusions and recommendations

Various steps involved in the LCA methodology are listed in Table 1. The
complete life cycle of the renewable energy sources includes each and every step
from raw material production and extraction, processing, transportation, manu-
facturing, storage, distribution, and utilization. Each of these can have an impact
(harmful or beneficial) of different environmental, economical, and social
dimensions. It is therefore of crucial importance to assess the complete fuel chains
from different perspectives in order to achieve sustainable biofuels (Markevic ˇius
et al. 2010).
The environmental burden covers all types of impacts on the environment,
including extraction of different types of resources, emission of hazardous sub-
stances, and different types of land use. Reinhard and Zah (2011) distinguished the
two main approaches of LCA, i.e., the attributional and the consequential