Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
◦
ozone due to atmospheric photochemical oxidant formation (kg);
◦
particulate matter (PM 10) formation in air (kg);
infrared radioactive forcing (W*yr/m
2
) due to climate change;
◦
◦
human health impact given in hazard-weighted dose (-);
-
relevant to terrestrial ecosystem damage:
◦
climate change: infrared radioactive forcing (W*yr/m
2
);
terrestrial acidification given in base saturation (year*m
2
);
◦
◦
chemicals
of
terrestrial
ecotoxicity
in
hazard-weighted
concentration
(m
2
*year);
agricultural land occupation (m
2
*yr);
◦
urban land occupation (m
2
*yr);
◦
natural land transformation (m
2
);
◦
-
relevant to marine ecosystem:
◦
marine ecotoxicity in hazard-weighted concentration (m
2
*year);
marine eutrophication given in nitrogen concentration (yr*kg/m
3
);
◦
-
relevant to freshwater ecosystem:
◦
freshwater eutrophication given in phosphorus concentration (yr*kg/m
3
)
freshwater ecotoxicity in hazard weighted concentration (m
2
*year);
◦
-
relevant to resource depletion:
-
mineral resource depletion given in decrease in the grade (1/kg);
-
fossil fuel depletion, given in heating value (MJ);
◦
water depletion, the amount of water in m
3
.
In harmony with the midpoints, three endpoint indicators are applied in ReCiPe:
-
human health expressed as DALY (disability-adjusted loss of life years);
-
ecosystem damage (species extinction/year),
-
resource depletion given as resource cost increase.
All the midpoint indicators are converted into an equivalent, e.g. all chemicals
causing climate change are given in CO
2
equivalent, or ozone depleting chemicals
in CFC equivalent for the characterization of their damaging potential. These char-
acterization factors are also available as an
MS Excel spreadsheet
in ReCiPe, which
is included into the popular software
SimaPro
and the
ecoinvent
database. (ReCiPe,
2013; Wegener Sleeswijk
et al.
, 2008).
EPA's impact assessment tool TRACI (2012), a tool for the reduction and assess-
ment of chemical and other environmental impacts, intends to support consistency
in environmental decision making. It allows the examination of the potential for
impacts associated with the raw material usage and chemical releases resulting from
the processes involved in producing a product. TRACI allows the user to examine the
potential for impacts for a single life cycle stage, or the whole life cycle, and to com-
pare the results between products or processes. The purpose of TRACI is to enable
a determination or a preliminary comparison of two or more options on the basis
of the following environmental impact categories: ozone depletion, global warming,
acidification, eutrophication, photochemical smog, human health based on existing
criteria, or cancer and non-cancer hazard, ecotoxicity, fossil fuel use, land use, and
water use. Impact assessment for environmental decision making in areas such as
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