Verification of the results of environmental life cycle assessment of bulky waste management technologies using sensitivity analysis

Abstract

The calculation aimed to verify the life cycle assessment (LCA) results of the bulky waste management technology by using sensitivity analysis. Different sensitivity analyses for LCA were carried out to point out which of the tested methods gave the most reliable LCA results. The main factor that helped to find the best-fitted method was CO2 emissions. The LCA analyses were performed by IOŚ-PIB using SimaPro software based on the technology data obtained during the Urbanrec project. The sensitivity analysis was conducted twofold: the LCA analysis was carried out for different time horizons in the frame of the ReCiPe method egalitarian (E), individual (I), and hierarchic (H). In the second step, the LCA results for the ReCiPe method were compared with the LCA results for methods: CML-IA, Impact 2002+, and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GGP). The results of the LCA for all endpoints are sensitive to changes in the time horizon, which is reflected in the change in impact assessment methods used in calculations. The biggest differences are visible between the egalitarian and individual perspectives. In the second case of the sensitivity analysis, differences in results between the individual analytical methods used for LCAs can be observed. The obtained results show a high sensitivity of LCA results from the adopted time horizon, as well as moderate sensitivity of the carbon footprint depending on the method of analysis used.