| Title |
Economic value dissipation potential (EVDP): an improved method to estimate the potential economic value loss due to resource dissipation in life cycle assessment |
| ID_Doc |
22354 |
| Authors |
Santillán-Saldivar, J; Beylot, A; Cor, E; Monnier, E; Muller, S |
| Title |
Economic value dissipation potential (EVDP): an improved method to estimate the potential economic value loss due to resource dissipation in life cycle assessment |
| Year |
2023 |
| Published |
International Journal Of Life Cycle Assessment, 28.0, 10 |
| DOI |
10.1007/s11367-023-02204-7 |
| Abstract |
PurposeResource dissipation (RD) is a phenomenon that has been identified as a barrier toward a circular economy (CE) due to potential losses of value and functionality in the technosphere along the life cycle of products. Concerns around the availability and accessibility of resources make relevant the development of methods that allow to identify the impacts associated to these losses.MethodsThe economic value dissipation potential (EVDP) is an impact assessment method in life cycle assessment (LCA) that integrates two aspects in the evaluation of RD: the identification of potentially dissipative flows and the value loss associated to them. It is conceived to complement previous efforts to assess RD. First, the method proposes a function that estimates the fraction of a mass flow that can be considered potentially dissipative by comparing the resource concentration in dissipation compartments with a threshold, set as a current estimation of a global average minimum grade for primary resource extraction. Next, the method assigns a value to these flows based on the integration of the price and economic importance of the resources to model potential value loss due to dissipation.Results and discussionA first application of the method allows to obtain pre-calculated characterization factors (CFs) for 15 resources. These factors are applied to a case study on a NMC lithium-ion battery recycling process through hydrometallurgy. According to the method, the process allows to avoid 3.79 USD-eq in losses due to dissipation per kilogram of treated battery. This method and the results of its application are discussed in relation to the JRC and EDP methods, two other methods that capture RD in LCA.ConclusionsThe results of the application of the EVDP method based on economic considerations provide complementary information to current impact assessment methods, therefore having the potential to support decision-making processes based on LCA. Potential improvements vary on feasibility; the main barrier is the absence of detailed information to generate CFs for more resources. Moreover, the granularity required to apply the method is not currently found in LCIs; also, CFs require constant updates to follow the dynamic nature of the data. |
| Author Keywords |
Life cycle impact assessment; Mineral resources; Dissipation; Circular economy; Lithium-ion batteries |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:001045693800001 |
| WoS Category |
Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences |
| Research Area |
Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
| PDF |
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