Author: Muhammad Ahmad

On a large scale, decontamination and inoculation must be done on a continuous basis and not batchwise as in a laboratory trial (Figure 6.9). To achieve this, the FPL investigators built a treatment system based on two screw conveyers that transport the chips and act as treatment chambers. Figure 6.9 is an overview of the continuous process…

Mechanical Pulping Mechanical pulping, as the name implies, relies on mechanical energy to convert wood to pulp. Current mechanical pulp manufacturing processes constitute several high‐energy grinding and refining systems, including refiner mechanical pulping (RMP) process, the thermomechanical pulping (TMP) process, the chemimechanical pulping process, and the chemithermomechanical pulping process (Someshwar and Pinkerton 1992; Smook 1992). Mechanical pulping…

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…

Introduction Pulp and paper manufacturing constitutes one of the largest industry segments in the United States in terms of water and energy usage and total discharges to the environment. More than many other industries, however, this industry plays an important role in sustainable development because its chief raw material – wood fiber – is renewable.…

TEAM is an LCA software program that allows the user to build and use a database and model any system representing the operations associated with products, processes, and activities (waste management options, means of transportation, etc.). It is designed to describe and model complex industrial systems and to calculate the associated life cycle inventories (LCM,…

Table 6.3 lists the LCA and LCI tools we shall discuss in this section, along with the vendor or developer of each and that organization’s Internet address. ECO‐it 1.0 ECO‐it is a database tool used to assist an LCI and LCIA. ECO‐it comes with over 100 indicator values for commonly used materials such as metals, plastics,…

When the LCA has been completed, the materials must be assembled into a comprehensive report documenting the study in a clear and organized manner. This will help communicate the results of the assessment fairly, completely, and accurately to others interested in the results. The report presents the results, data, methods, assumptions and limitations in sufficient…

Significant “issues” are the data elements that contribute most to the results of both the LCI and LCIA for each product, process, or service. Examples include When these issues have been identified, the results are used to evaluate the completeness, sensitivity, and consistency of the LCA study (step 2). The identification of significant issues guides…

Life cycle interpretation is a systematic technique to identify, quantify, check, and evaluate information from the results of the LCI and the LCIA, and communicate them effectively. Life cycle interpretation is the last phase of the LCA process. The ISO has defined the following objectives of life cycle interpretation: It is not always possible to…

The impact categories that will be considered as part of the overall LCA were selected as part of the initial goal and scope definition phase. To guide the LCI data collection process and required reconsideration for an LCIA, impacts are defined as the consequences due to the input and output streams of a system on…