Use of Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment in decision making: the case of Waste Management

PRESENTAZIONE CONGIUNTA DELLE ATTIVITA’ DI RICERCA DEI DIPARTIMENTI
RICERCHE
Genova, 19 Dicembre 2012
del Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica ed Ambientale

USE OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
AND RISK ASSESSMENT IN
DECISION MAKING: THE CASE OF
WA S T E M A N A G E M E N T
Adriana Del Borghi
Department of Civil Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental (DICCA),
University of Genoa
Fiera di Genova_ Italy

October, 30 2013
DICCA
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Chimica ed Ambientale

UNIVERSITA’ DI GENOVA

SCUOLA POLITECNICA

Dipartimento di Scienza per l’Architettura

DSA

Sustainable Development Team

RICERCHE

Sustainable development of processes
M.Del Borghi, P.Costamagna, A.Del Borghi, M.Gallo, C.Strazza
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), eco-design,
environmental labels and certifications
1 kg
M-Bi Loose Filler
100.00 %

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) and climate change,
environmental impact studies

1.05 kg
M-Bi gran. PE

0.715 kg
Amido patate

0.166 kg
PVOH

23.55 %

1.96 kg
Patate

Solid waste, wastewater and air emissions
treatments

0.9 MJ
En.el. Italia media
tensione

89.23 %

8.65 %

0.0246 kg
KAS
1.68 %

0.000963 kg
Active pesticide
3.18 %

36.53 %

2.29 MJ
MJth gas energy

0.121 kg
PVAc (polyvinyl
acetate)

12.74 %

34.53 %

0.368 MJ
MJth diesel tractor
2.27 %

10.77 %

1.05 p
Trasp. PVOH
(mare)
1.53 %

1.93 MJ
En.el. Italia media
tensione
23.13 %

2.83 tkm
Transoceanic ship
1.53 %

0.121 kg
Vinyl acetate
33.07 %

Statistical analysis of process and environmental
data
Process simulation, fault detection in process plants
through pattern recognition techniques
CE.Si.S.P. (Interuniversity Centre for the Development of Product
Sustainability) among University of Genoa (Administrative seat), Polytechnic
of Turin, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa
www.cesisp.unige.it

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Waste and the environment

RICERCHE

The amount of waste we are creating
is increasing.
The nature of waste itself is changing.
EU waste management policies aim to
reduce the environmental and health
impacts of waste.
However, the increasing complexity of
current waste management systems
and the increasingly demanding
environmental protection targets make
it challenging to optimise waste
management strategies and policies.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

The waste hierarchy

RICERCHE

The Waste Framework Directive introduces a ﬁve-step waste hierarchy
where prevention is the best option, followed by re-use, recycling and other
forms of recovery, with disposal such as landﬁll as the last resort.
EU waste legislation aims to move waste management up the waste hierarchy.

More information:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/was
te/legislation/index.htm
DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

A life cycle approach

RICERCHE

All products and services have
environmental impacts, from the
extraction of raw materials for their
production to their manufacture,
distribution, use and disposal.
The new Waste Framework
Directive has introduced the concept
of life-cycle thinking into waste
policies. A key goal is to avoid
actions that shift negative impacts
from one stage to another.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Decision making tools

RICERCHE

Decisions are made based on information of different kinds. Several tools
have been developed to facilitate the inclusion of environmental aspects in
decision-making on different levels.
Which tool to use in a specific situation depends on the decision context.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Risk Assessment (RA) are both
analytical tools applicable in process selection, decision making, design
and optimisation.
A recent survey showed that a considerable
number of decision models and methodologies
for the integration of lifecycle thinking and risk
assessment into waste management have been
developed for several waste streams and wastemanagement and treatment technologies.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

RICERCHE

Life Cycle Assessment, ruled by ISO 14040 (2006), is an environmental management
tool that enables quantification of environmental burdens and their potential impacts
over the whole life cycle of a product, process or activity.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Risk Assessment (RA)

RICERCHE

Risk Assessment is a scientifically based process comprising four steps: hazard
identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment and risk characterisation.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

RICERCHE

LCA and RA


LCA and RA are two approaches often used separately for quantifying
potential effects of products.
LCA

RA

If the decision-making situation
concerns a choice between different
waste management options, such as
recycling, incineration and landfilling

To study certain substances within the
waste system, e.g., for incineration
plants

LCA covers potential impacts
throughout the life cycle and does not
include local and specific impacts

RA tool may complement the
information provided as concerns
issues such as compliance with
legislation, product safety, site-specific
decision making, prioritisation and
evaluation of risk reduction
measurements
DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Combining LCA and RA

RICERCHE

The most common approach of
combining LCA and RA is to include
ecotoxicological and toxicological
parameters in life cycle impact
assessment (LCIA) used in a LCA.
Regulatory risk assessment and the
impact assessment part of LCA use the
same type of inherent properties data for
the assessment of toxic impacts.
In waste sector, the combined tools can
be successfully applied in several ways
with a special focus on human health.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Life Cycle Impact Assessment

RICERCHE

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

RICERCHE
Communicating LCA and RA results

To be effective and efficient tools the
approaches of LCA and RA needs to be
harmonised.
In the framework of Type III environmental
labels (ISO 14025), (www.environdec.com),
specific rules (PCR 2008:02, Product
Category Rules) have been developed
allowing the comparability of the
environmental results in the whole life cycle
of the studied waste management services.
Common and harmonized calculation rules
have been established in a participatory way
to ensure that similar procedures are used
for data collection and handling.

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

System Boundaries

RICERCHE

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Conclusions

RICERCHE

The Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) concept and quantitative tools such as
LCA and RA can provide an informed and science-based support to a more
environmentally sustainable decision-making in waste management.
By using LCA and RA tools, decision-makers may get general advice on
choice of waste management options, but they also gain knowledge
regarding the aspects that may have a significant influence on the choice of
alternative.
Data and knowledge from RA are used as input to model the impact
assessment of chemical substances of LCA or LCA can act as a strategic
tool to prioritise the data to acquire and the risk assessments to perform.
LCA and RA are often used separately, but an harmonisation of their
approach and an integration into a common tool or approach that
combines them is a strategic challenge to make more robust decisions
possible.
DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

RICERCHE

www.cesisp.unige.it
adry@unige.it

@cesisp_GE
@ADelBorghi

DICCA


SCUOLA POLITECNICA


DSA

Use of Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment in decision making: the case of Waste Management

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Similar a Use of Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment in decision making: the case of Waste Management

Similar a Use of Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment in decision making: the case of Waste Management (20)

Más de Community Protection Forum

Más de Community Protection Forum (20)

Último

Último (20)

Use of Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment in decision making: the case of Waste Management