Page 103 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition
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5.2 The environmental assessment—LCA 99
Goal and scope definition
Data collection preparation
Data collection
Data definition
Association of data and unit process Distribution and recycling
Data consolidation
System boundary modification
FIG. 5.2 Diagram of life cycle inventory analysis (Roy et al., 2009).
quality of data may come out and the data collection program should be modified in line with
the research target. Fig. 5.2 shows a diagram of life cycle inventory analysis (Roy et al., 2009).
The Eco-Indicator 99 is a powerful and useful tool; it is a weighting method used for prod-
uct design and also in most LCA studies. It can make an LCA more understandable and trans-
form the LCA results into user-friendly units: the Eco-indicators (Ministry of Housing, 2000).
5.2.1.3 Impact assessment
The impact assessment is the work center of an LCA. According to the data provided by the
inventory analysis about consumption and emissions, the environmental impact of product
will be evaluated (Finnveden et al., 2009). The impact of environment is also defined when
matter and energy are exchanged among the research and environment. However, compared
to other phases, the maturity of impact assessment is still not enough, and more work is
needed. Fig. 5.3 shows the execution steps of impact assessment (Liu and Ma, 2009). Several
elements make up the impact assessment, including classification, characterization, normal-
ization, and valuation.
After clarifying the environmental impact categories that the study concerns, the inventory
data will be distributed into different environmental impact categories. There are different
environmental categories in different impact assessment methodologies. For example,
SETAC classifies the environmental impact into three types, which are the impact on ecosys-
tems, human health, and resource consumption. Guin ee (2002) divide environment problems
into the exhaustion problem, the pollution problem, and the perturbation problem. Different
