Life cycle assessment (AQA GCSE Chemistry): Flashcards
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13 cards from this deck
What is a life cycle assessment (LCA)?
What is a life cycle assessment (LCA)?
Method to measure total environmental impact of a product from start to finish
Number of main stages in a product life cycle
Number of main stages in a product life cycle
Six
Six stages of product life cycle in order
Six stages of product life cycle in order
Raw material extraction→processing→manufacturing→transport→use→disposal
Four main factors measured in an LCA
Four main factors measured in an LCA
Energy use, raw materials, water use, waste production
Energy used by single-use plastic bag (MJ)
Energy used by single-use plastic bag (MJ)
22.1 MJ
Energy used by plastic bag for life (MJ)
Energy used by plastic bag for life (MJ)
167.5 MJ
Energy used by cotton bag (MJ)
Energy used by cotton bag (MJ)
39.6 MJ
How many times more energy: bag for life vs single-use
How many times more energy: bag for life vs single-use
7.6 times more
Waste produced by cotton bag (g)
Waste produced by cotton bag (g)
1800g
Waste produced by plastic bag for life (g)
Waste produced by plastic bag for life (g)
170g
Waste: cotton bag vs plastic bag for life (times more)
Waste: cotton bag vs plastic bag for life (times more)
10.6 times more
Why looking at one LCA factor can be misleading
Why looking at one LCA factor can be misleading
All factors must be considered together for a complete picture of environmental impact
Two key limitations of LCA studies
Two key limitations of LCA studies
Need independent expert checking; results depend on reuse