08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved1 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The BasisGetting the inventory right

Assistant professorMorten Birkved

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved2 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Inventory modelling in relation to quantification of chemical emissions

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved3 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The relative importance of getting the inventory right

Importance of chemical emission quantification

Impact potential of emissionIPi = Qi x CFi

Where:CFi – Characterization factor of compound iQi – Quantity emitted of compound iIPi – Impact potential of emission of compound i

Thus:Importance of characterization = Importance emission

quantification

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved4 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The relative importance of getting the inventory right

What do we get and what do not get:Chemical inventories typically include:• Gate to grave processes in the chemical life cycleChemical inventories typically does not include:• Cradle to gate processesWhich means?Almost all chemical impact potentials only include the inherent impact

potentials of the chemicals emitted and not the impact potential of the production of the chemical

Raw materials Production Use EoLImpacts Not included Included

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved5 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The relative importance of getting the inventory right Definition of emission/elementary flows of chemical compounds:An emission is occurring when fx. a chemical compound crosses the

technosphere - ecosphere boundary

Technosphere Ecosphere

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved6 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The inventorQuantification of emissions/consumptions

Raw materials Production Use EoL

Consumption

Emission

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved7 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The inventorQuantification of emissions/consumptions

Unit process

Energy

EoL

Energy

Waste

Chemicals Water

Chemicals

Raw materials Production Use

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved8 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The inventorQuantification of emissions/consumptions

Raw materials Production Use EoL

Inputs Outputs Net exchange------- ------- -------------- ------- -------------- ------- -------------- ------- -------------- ------- -------

Net exchange:Ressource consumptionEmission of chemical/material

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved9 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Chemical emission aspectsEmission routes

Emission routes:Emission to airEmission to waterEmission to soil

IPi,air≠ IPi,water ≠ IPi,soil

Risk assessmentTypically 1 route

LCIAAll routes needed

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved10 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The location of a chemical emission matters, due to:•Fate of emission

-Degradation-Bioavailability-Migration/dispersion…

•Sensitivity of recipient-Biodiversity-Tolerance/adaption-Proximity to emission…..

Chemical emission aspects Location of emission

IPi,j,loc. 1≠ IPi,j,loc. 2

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved11 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The inventoryInventory and emission modellingWhy model emissions?• Quantification of emission measure is expensive and/or time consuming• Quantification of emission not possible and/or very hard physically• Quantification of emission is not possible due to “resistance” towards

providing necessary data• Quantification of emission is in many cases “theoretical” since it’s made

on a unit process base

What unit processes are typically modelled in inventory models?• Biological unit processes• Very complex mechanical unit processes• Highly varying (temporal and/or spatial) unit processes

What model approaches are used for LCI modelling• All (static, dynamic, linear, non-linear etc.)

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved12 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The inventoryInventory and emission modellingCase examples:

Case 1 – Emission modelling of chemicals from households via sewage water

Case 2 – PestLCI - modelling of pesticide emissions from fields

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved13 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

Source: EU (2003)

of households connected to STPs

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved14 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

Why model chemical emissions via sewage?•Complex systems

•Combined biological/mechanical systems

•Very important source in terms of chemical emissions

•High temporal emission variability

•High spatial emission variability

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved15 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Primary 

treatment

Secondary 

treatment

Tertiary 

treatment

Total

1 BE 1998 0.0 22.0 16.1 38.1 44.6 0.0 17.3 17.3

2 DK 1998 1.6 3.4 84.0 89.0 0.1 10.9 0.0 10.9

3 DE 1998 1.1 6.3 83.1 90.5 2.7 4.7 2.1 6.8

4 EL 1997 32.4 14.2 9.6 56.2 11.6 0.0 32.2 32.2

5 ES 1995 10.6 34.4 3.3 48.3 51.7 0.0 0.0 0.0

6 FR 1998 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 81.6 10.0 8.4 18.4

7 IE 1995 24.0 31.8 1.8 57.6 10.4 0.0 32.0 32.0

8 IT 1995 2.9 36.1 24.1 63.1 36.9 0.0 0.0 0.0

9 LU 1999 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 93.0 7.0 0.0 7.0

10 NL 2000 0.0 18.1 80.0 98.1 0.0 0.0 1.9 1.9

11 AT 2001 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 86.0 14.0 0.0 14.0

12 PT 1998 17.8 26.0 2.3 46.1 35.9 4.7 13.3 18.0

13 FI 2001 0.0 0.0 81.0 81.0 0.0 0.0 19.0 19.0

14 SE 2000 0.0 5.0 81.0 86.0 0.0 0.0 14.0 14.0

15 UK 2000 3.6 64.0 27.0 94.6 2.0 0.0 3.4 3.4

16 BG 2001 0.9 37.2 0.0 38.1 29.8 0.0 32.1 32.1

17 CY 2000 0.0 0.0 34.5 34.5 0.0 65.5 0.0 65.5

18 CZ 2001 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 74.9 0.0 25.1 25.1

19 EE 2000 1.0 28.0 40.0 69.0 1.0 0.0 30.0 30.0

20 HU 2000 2.3 24.4 5.5 32.2 19.0 17.1 31.7 48.8

No Country Year Urban waste water collecting system Independent waste water 

With treatment Without 

treatment

TotalWith 

treatment

Without 

treatment

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

PT:Urban WWT = 35.9 % NOT treatedIndependent WWT = 18 % NOT treatedTotal = 53,9 % NOT treated

FI:Urban WWT = 0 % NOT treatedIndependent WWT = 19 % NOT treatedTotal = 19 % NOT treated 08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved16 DTU Management Engineering,

Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

Independent WWT

Urban WWT

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved17 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

Nationalsewage systemconfiguration

Compound specific

biodegradationmeasure

Sewagetreatmentefficiency

interpolation

Sewage LCI

Fraction emitted via:•Urban sewage system not treated•Urban sewage system with prim. treatment•Urban sewage system with sec. treatment•Urban sewage system with tert. treatment•Independent sewage system without treatment•Independent sewage system with treatment (septic tank and if relevant mini STP)

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved18 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

DK BE NL UK DE IT FI SE FR ES

Fraction emitted via emission route E6

Fraction emitted via emission route E5

Fraction emitted via emission route E4

Fraction emitted via emission route E3

Fraction emitted via emission route E2

Fraction emitted via emission route E1

What is the difference (approximately) in impact potential of 1 kg AE applied in NL and FR judged from above?

28.70.03

0.86

NL in emitted Fraction

FR  in  emitted  FractionΔIPAE

0.86

0.03

Alcohol ethoxylates (C12-14EO7)

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved19 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from householdsValidation example:Compound: Alcohol Ethoxylates (AE)National annual consumption ~ 1,800 tons (CETOX, 2000)Vejle Amt (county) case study:Population ~ 345,000 people (6,45 %) (DST, 2007) AE consumption in Vejle Amt ~ 116 tonsAnnual water emission:Urban sewage system 5,8281010 ltr. (MST, 2007)Independent sewage system: 6,5107 ltr. (calculated)

100 %

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved20 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Sewage LCIEmission modelling of chemicals from households

Worst case

Realistic/average case

2.1 %

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved21 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

PestLCIEmission modelling of pesticides

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved22 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

PestLCIEmission modelling of pesticides

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved23 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

PestLCIEmission modelling of pesticides

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved24 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

PestLCIEmission modelling of pesticides

White boxes Intra-technosphere transport/migrationprocesses

Yellow box Processes leading to transport outside technosphere (emission)

Grey boxes Terminal processes - intra-technosphere degradation and emissions pools

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved25 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

PestLCIEmission modelling of pesticides

fair

fsw

fgwScenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Scenario 4

0.0E+00

1.0E-02

2.0E-02

3.0E-02

4.0E-02

5.0E-02

Fractio

n em

itted

Scenario 1 2.9E-02 1.1E-02 2.3E-03

Scenario 2 1.6E-02 7.6E-03 1.5E-03

Scenario 3 3.3E-02 3.8E-03 7.5E-04

Scenario 4 4.6E-02 1.5E-03 3.0E-04

fair fsw fgw

Scenario Month Crop height

Crop development stage

1 April Field crops

Leaf development

2 May Field crops

Stem elongation

3 June Tall crops

Inflorescence emergence/flowering

4 August Tall crops

Development of fruits/ripening

Variation X3 X7 X8

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved26 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

PestLCIEmission modelling of pesticides

fair

fsw

fgwBentazone

MCPA

Pendimethalin

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

Fra

ctio

n e

mitte

d

Bentazone 1.6E-02 7.6E-03 1.5E-03

MCPA 3.7E-02 6.3E-04 1.8E-07

Pendimethalin 1.6E-01 1.5E-02 6.4E-03

fair fsw fgw

Variation X10 X23 X8333

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved27 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Summary• Accurate inventory data are just as necessary as accurate characterization

data, due to the simple reason that inventory and characterization factors influences the impact potentials of chemical emissions in an equal way

• Almost all chemical inventories are only partial due to the lack of upstream data

• Inventory modelling is needed due to several reasons all related to data mining obstacles

• Inventory data modelling is not just fancy input-output balancing

• Inventory modelling applies various modelling techniques and is not limited to one modelling approach

• Inventory models targeted at LCA aims at providing an average emission estimates contrary to risk assessment models which aims at providing worst case estimates

08/04/2010The Basis - getting the inventory right - Morten Birkved28 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Round-off