LCA is a tool, which has been described in Sections 6.4 and 6.5, for evaluating the environmental performance of a process, product, or activity, starting from raw material extraction, through manufacturing, to use, and final disposal. This is known as a “cradle‐to‐grave” approach (Figure 6.3). Because of its holistic approach to system analysis, LCA is becoming an increasingly important decision‐making tool in environmental system management. Its main advantage over other, site‐specific, methods for environmental analysis, such as environmental impact assessment or environmental audit, lies in broadening the system boundaries to include all burdens and impacts in the life cycle of a product or a process, and not focusing solely on the emissions and wastes generated by the plant or manufacturing site.
As an environmental management tool, LCA has two main objectives. Its first objective is to quantify and evaluate the environmental performance of a process or a product and so help decision‐makers choose between alternative products or processes. Another objective of LCA is to provide a basis for assessing potential improvements of the environmental performance of an existing or newly designed system. This can be of particular importance to engineers and environmental managers because it can advise them on how to modify or design a system to decrease its overall environmental impact. LCA can thus be used both internally by a company or externally by industry, policy makers, planners, educators, and other stakeholders. If the results of LCA are to be used internally by a company, then possible areas where LCA can be useful include, but are not limited to, the following:
- strategic planning or environmental strategy development
- problem solving in the system
- identification of opportunities for, and tracking of, environmental improvements
- process and product design, innovation, improvement, and optimization
External applications of LCAs include uses of LCA as a marketing tool, to support environmental labeling or claims, or informational purposes, or to support policy decisions. LCA, green chemistry, green engineering, design‐for‐environment, industrial ecology, and other emerging areas of chemical engineering and environmental engineering provide greater opportunities for developing sustainable and innovative processes and products (Das and Scott 2003).
In this case study, we focus only on LCA related to three processes: chemical‐, mechanical‐, and biopulping using wood chips. This streamlined LCA approach will help to identify which process is more sustainable by considering environmental impacts, human health and safety, and process economics.
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