Life Cycle Assessment Research Trends and Implications: A Bibliometric Analysis

Moutik, Badr; Summerscales, John; Graham-Jones, Jasper; Pemberton, Richard

doi:10.3390/su151813408

Cited by 11 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 188 publications

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“…The LCA methodology is based on the ISO 14040 standard [30] according to which it proceeds according to four interactive stages: (i) defining the purpose and scope of the research, (ii) inventory, (iii) environmental impact assessment, and (iv) interpretation [31]. The use of LCA can support making more pro-ecological decisions throughout the life cycle, and it can also be a source of knowledge for selected phases of the cycle, including adapting the type of analysis to the desired criteria of environmental burdens [32,33]. Therefore, the present research method included defining the research object, the functional unit, the system boundary, and the research scope, as detailed later in this paper.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Ecological Footprint from the Extraction and Processing of Materials in the LCA Phase of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Siwiec,

Frącz,

Pacana

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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The development of batteries used in electric vehicles towards sustainable development poses challenges to designers and manufacturers. Although there has been research on the analysis of the environmental impact of batteries during their life cycle (LCA), there is still a lack of comparative analyses focusing on the first phase, i.e., the extraction and processing of materials. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to perform a detailed comparative analysis of popular electric vehicle batteries. The research method was based on the analysis of environmental burdens regarding the ecological footprint of the extraction and processing of materials in the life cycle of batteries for electric vehicles. Popular batteries were analyzed: lithium-ion (Li-Ion), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), and three-component lithium nickel cobalt manganese (NCM). The ecological footprint criteria were carbon dioxide emissions, land use (including modernization and land development) and nuclear energy emissions. This research was based on data from the GREET model and data from the Ecoinvent database in the OpenLCA programme. The results of the analysis showed that considering the environmental loads for the ecological footprint, the most advantageous from the environmental point of view in the extraction and processing of materials turned out to be a lithium iron phosphate battery. At the same time, key environmental loads occurring in the first phase of the LCA of these batteries were identified, e.g., the production of electricity using hard coal, the production of quicklime, the enrichment of phosphate rocks (wet), the production of phosphoric acid, and the uranium mine operation process. To reduce these environmental burdens, improvement actions are proposed, resulting from a synthesized review of the literature. The results of the analysis may be useful in the design stages of new batteries for electric vehicles and may constitute the basis for undertaking pro-environmental improvement actions toward the sustainable development of batteries already present on the market.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Ecological Footprint from the Extraction and Processing of Materials in the LCA Phase of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Siwiec,

Frącz,

Pacana

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Global state of the art of teaching life cycle assessment in higher education

Viere,

Lehmann,

Miao

et al. 2024

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Globally, there is an increased demand for education on life cycle assessment (LCA). In response, there has been an increase in course availability, but also a lack of clarity on the comprehensiveness of these offerings and the resulting student competencies. Methods A global survey was conducted to obtain empirical evidence on teaching LCA. The survey explored the availability of LCA courses globally and the depth of the teaching, including expected core competencies and related teaching and learning workloads. A purposive sampling strategy was adopted wherein eligible participants were approached by the researchers. Results and discussion According to the survey, annually, over 10,000 students participate in more than 200 LCA courses. The results reflected the interdisciplinary nature of LCA with courses being taught across different disciplines, including engineering, chemical sciences, and economics. Estimated workload demands for achieving different competency levels were significantly lower than those estimated by an expert panel before. This may be attributed in part to respondents not accounting for the full workload beyond classroom interactions. Nonetheless, workload demands increased with competency levels. Conclusions and recommendations The results emphasize the need for a common understanding of LCA teaching with regard to content, literacy levels, and competencies to avoid false expectations of the labor and research markets in terms of available expertise. Therefore, LCA curriculum development and program planning remain significant challenges and essential tasks for the global LCA community.

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