Input from Manufacturing Phase to Operational Phase
Posted: 13 May 2016 13:59
Hi openLCa community!
I am currently working on an LCI for a membrane bioreactor (MBR)-based waste water treatment technology. I want to include the manufacturing of the single components of the MBR as well as the operational phase and the disposal of the single components. I am wondering now how to scale the manufacturing and disposal processes according to my functional unit which is 1m^3 of treated waste water. Because it does not make sense to allocate all the emissions etc. from buliding the MBR to an output of 1m^3 of tretated waste water, right? The same problem occurs with the disposal process..
I guess i will have to calculate something with the life span of the components in relation to the overall output of the MBR, so here is what I thought of: (with examplatory data)
The Manufacturing of a water tank needs 100 kWh. The water tank has a life span of 10 years if the MBR runs 365 days/year. The MBR produces 200m^3 of treated water/day, i.e. 73,000m^3/yr and 730,000m^3/10yrs.
In order to normalize the input of the manufacturing process to the FU: 100kWh/ 730,000m^3. Like this, 0.0001369kWh of the manufacturing of the water tank would be used as an input to the process producing the FU of 1m^3.
Does that make sense?
And, the follow-up question: How do I connect these two processes meaningfully on openLCA? Should I do it like shown in the attached screen shot? I.e. connect to Manufacturing with the Buffering (Operational) process via the flow "Water Tank"? Or should I have the calculated 0.0001369kWh as an input?
Thanks in advance!
I am currently working on an LCI for a membrane bioreactor (MBR)-based waste water treatment technology. I want to include the manufacturing of the single components of the MBR as well as the operational phase and the disposal of the single components. I am wondering now how to scale the manufacturing and disposal processes according to my functional unit which is 1m^3 of treated waste water. Because it does not make sense to allocate all the emissions etc. from buliding the MBR to an output of 1m^3 of tretated waste water, right? The same problem occurs with the disposal process..
I guess i will have to calculate something with the life span of the components in relation to the overall output of the MBR, so here is what I thought of: (with examplatory data)
The Manufacturing of a water tank needs 100 kWh. The water tank has a life span of 10 years if the MBR runs 365 days/year. The MBR produces 200m^3 of treated water/day, i.e. 73,000m^3/yr and 730,000m^3/10yrs.
In order to normalize the input of the manufacturing process to the FU: 100kWh/ 730,000m^3. Like this, 0.0001369kWh of the manufacturing of the water tank would be used as an input to the process producing the FU of 1m^3.
Does that make sense?
And, the follow-up question: How do I connect these two processes meaningfully on openLCA? Should I do it like shown in the attached screen shot? I.e. connect to Manufacturing with the Buffering (Operational) process via the flow "Water Tank"? Or should I have the calculated 0.0001369kWh as an input?
Thanks in advance!