Use of the Economic Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment (eiolca)

Website

By Chris Hendrickson, H. Scott Matthews and Mike Griffin

Green Design Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, USA

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Some Sustainability Tools

• Triple bottom line assessments (multi-objective optimization)

• Life Cycle Assessment• Expand range of design alternatives (not

a tactic limited to sustainable infrastructure, of course…)– New technology (datalogger, new materials)– Alternative approaches (different modes)

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Some Other Common Tools

• Materials flow analysis• Appropriate boundary setting.• Risk and uncertainty analysis.• Life cycle cost analysis.• Design heuristics (reduce energy use,

eliminate waste material)

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www.eiolca.net Website Components

• Economic Input-Output Model of US Economy (~480 economic sectors)

• Impact Vectors: Air emissions, Energy use, Toxic emissions, Employment.

• 1992 and 1997 Benchmark models + annual models of US economy

• Tutorial on model use.• Forum for discussion.

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History of Website• Initial version on spreadsheet.• Moved to web for free public use in 2000

with 1992 Benchmark Input-Output Data.• Update to 1997 Benchmark in 2004.• Papers on input-output life cycle

assessment method and applications from 1992 on.

• Plan to update to 2002 Benchmark in 2007.

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Use of Website

• >1,000,000 uses of the model (over 10,000 per month).

• Education/research uses most frequent.• Numerous industrial and government

uses.• Numerous international uses.• ‘Hybrid applications’ with process models

and input-output model common.

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Most Popular SectorsSECTOR %

Motor Vehicles 5

Plastics 3

Dairy farm products 3

Blast furnaces 2

Electricity 2

Inorganic Chemicals 2

Computers 2

Household laundry 1

Asphalt paving 1

Glass containers 1

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Most Popular ImpactsIMPACT TABLE %

Default Summary 13

Conventional Air Pollutant Emissions 9

Fuels 9

RCRA Hazardous Waste 7

Toxics Releases by Sector 5

External Costs 4

Ores 3

OSHA Safety and Fatality 3

Fertilizers 3

Weighted Toxics Releases (CMU-ET) 3

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Book for Documentation in 2006• Theory.• Applications:

appliances, buildings, energy generation and transmission, logistics, motor vehicles, and services

• Extension to regional and safety impacts.

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Residential Life Cycle Energy

1509 1669

14493

4725

31

34

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

Standard Efficient

En

erg

y C

on

sum

pti

on

(G

J)

Demolition

Use

Fabrication

Source: Ochoa, Hendrickson, Matthews and Ries, 2005

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Motor Vehicle Energy Use

1053310800 95418

1100211

413337215160676

191432

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

Vehicle Life Cycle Stage

En

erg

y U

se (

MJ)

Suppliers

Industry/Vehicle

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Example: Power Tool Datalogger

Connectionto an LED fordata transmission

power supply

Connections to sensors

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Datalogger Triple Bottom Line• Permits profitable re-manufacturing to replace

loss making recycling.• Develops information on tool use.• Reduces material use overall.• Creates new low-cost tool option.• No privacy issues raised (unlike autos!)• Must balance cost (including environmental

cost) of datalogger versus benefits – return rate of used power tools is critical.

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Some Relevant On-going Green Design Inst. Research

• 2002 Benchmark Update.• Mixed unit input-output models: metal flows

and monetary transactions.• Regional Models.• Other national models with international trade

flows.• Construction, energy (especially electricity),

infrastructure and transportation alternatives life cycle assessment applications.

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Switchgrass (Cellulosic) Ethanol

Distribution of Consumer

Preferences

Compact Car

Sports Car

Light TruckHydrogen

Gasoline

EthanolBiomass

Oil

Tar Sands

Plug-in Hybrid Electric

Internal Combustion

Fuel Cell

DistributionPipelines

Manufacturing Use End of Life

Rail Shipping

ProcessingResource Use Transportation

Coal Electricity

Vehicles ConsumersEnginesFuelsResources

Infrastructure& Policy

Decisions in the Marketplace

Impact:Life Cycle Analysis

Policy

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Local Action: Carnegie Mellon

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Some Carnegie Mellon Projects (cont)

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Conclusions

• Making sustainability operational requires political will but also effective tools and technology.

• Triple bottom line assessment: economic, environmental, social

• Life cycle perspective essential• Challenges should not lead to paralysis.

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Some Resources

• Center for Sustainable Engineering (ASU, Carnegie Mellon, Texas): http://www.csengin.org/

• Carnegie Mellon Green Design Institute: www.gdi.ce.cmu.edu

• Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment: website at www.eiolca.net. Book: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Goods & Services: An Input-Output Approach, 2006.