Ecology – Life Cycle Assessment

  Copyright: © LTT

Capturing CO₂ and using it as an alternative carbon feedstock for chemicals, fuels and materials is a promising measure to address climate change and other environmental threats. The environmental benefits of CO₂-based products, however, are not guaranteed: the CO₂ capture and the activation of the inert CO₂ molecule represent additional energy demands, and the integration of CO₂ into products may lead to complex changes within the production and utilization chain. Thus, a comprehensive environmental assessment is needed to evaluate the environmental benefits of CO₂ based products, and to credibly communicate them to future customers.

 

The aim of this project is to develop methods for such a comprehensive environmental assessment based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Life cycle assessment is a commonly accepted method for evaluating the environmental impacts of products. LCA takes into account the entire life cycle of a product, from the production of raw materials to the recycling or final disposal of wastes. The methods developed in this project are particularly suitable to (1) compare the environmental impacts of CO₂-based products with those of already existing products, and (2) to determine the environmental impact reduction potential of introducing CO₂-based products to the market.

 

This project is a part of the “enCO₂re – enabling CO₂ reuse” flagship program, which is funded by Climate-KIC. Learn more about enCO₂re and Climate-KIC.

  Copyright: © Climate-KIC   Copyright: © enCO2re