Towards sustainable energy materials: broadening life cycle assessment for emerging technology development and resource-effective choices

Energy materials are particularly important from a sustainability perspective for advancing renewable energy systems, including energy production and storage. Their appropriate use and development require quantitative assessment methods. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method to support sustainable development that can be used to identify environmental hotspots and compare different technologies. The purpose of this research is to support development of several energy materials and make LCA a more relevant tool for sustainability assessment by extending its use in two emerging directions: assessment of technologies at the early stage of development, and by supporting more resource-effective choices for a circular economy. The research objectives focus on informing the development of technologies and identifying methodological challenges and opportunities by applying LCA to three energy-technology case studies, each at a different technological maturity level. In the first case study, alkaline batteries, currently at a high maturity level (incumbent products), are evaluated using LCA in combination with a circular economy indicator, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI). The aim was to investigate opportunities to combine the two methods, while considering trade-offs between indicators for different strategies for battery design and management. In the second case study, nickel-cobalt hydroxide charge storage electrodes, currently at a low maturity level (laboratory-scale), are evaluated to investigate environmental hotspots and preferred synthesis route. In the third case study, organic photovoltaic portable chargers for small electronics, currently at a medium maturity level (pilot-scale), are evaluated for replacing conventional electricity grid for charging a mobile phone. The results of the alkaline batteries case study show the value and meaning of the MCI circular economy indicator to evaluate resource strategies as compared to LCA category and indicator results. In this context, an approach for combining and presenting the MCI indicator is proposed, and a need to improve characterization of material quality losses of secondary (recycled) material was identified. The electrodes case study offers insights on the environmental hotspots and relative status among technology alternatives, including the benefit of certain process stages and synthesis routes. The most favorable operating parameters in terms of current density and device lifetime expectations are identified. The analysis of photovoltaic chargers shows their environmental-performance potential given the geographical and use-intensity contexts. The chargers have shown as potentially valuable substitutes to local electricity grids in three of six countries given frequent use, and for specific impact categories. Case studies on electrodes and chargers demonstrate uncertainties in relation to allocation of reference flow to functional unit, which are addressed conducting scenario and break-even analysis. Given challenge and carried out responses, involve increasing efforts in the interpretation phase of LCA, an observation with potentially broader implications to the assessment of emerging technologies in LCA. Further research should consider how circular economy indicators and could be used with and complement quantitative assessment methods such as LCA. In the context of LCA of emerging technologies, it is recommended that more emphasis is given to further classification of future-oriented LCA studies of emerging technologies, in order to better frame and organize methodological advancements in this area. A recommendation is also made in consideration to application of attributional and consequential LCA approaches in guiding technology development at different stages of technological maturity

Towards sustainable energy materials : broadening life cycle assessment for emerging technology development and resource-effective choices

Les matériaux énergétiques sont particulièrement intéressants du point de vue du développement durable pour faire progresser les systèmes d’énergie renouvelable, notamment les énergies de production et de stockage. Leurs utilisations appropriées ainsi que leur développement requièrent une méthode d’évaluation quantitative. L’Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) est une méthode qui soutient le développement durable par l’identification de priorités environnementales ainsi que par la comparaison de différentes technologies. Cette recherche vise à soutenir le développement des matériaux énergétiques et de faire de la méthode d'analyse du cycle de vie un outil plus pertinent pour l'évaluation environnementale à travers l’extension de son usage dans deux directions émergentes : l’évaluation des technologies au début de leur développement et le soutien des choix économes en ressources dans le contexte d'une économie circulaire.Les objectifs de recherche se focalisent sur le développement de l’information relatives aux technologies ainsi que sur la méthodologie d’identification des défis et opportunités par l’application de l’ACV sur trois études de cas de technologie énergétique à différents niveaux de maturité. Dans le premier cas d’étude, les piles alcalines, actuellement à haut niveau de maturité () sont évalué grâce à l’utilisation de l’ACV combiné avec un indicateur d’économie circulaire, l'indicateur de circularité du matériau (MCI). Le but était d’explorer une opportunité de couplage des deux méthodes ainsi que les compromis entre les indicateurs pour différentes stratégies de conception et de gestion de ces batteries. Dans le deuxième cas d’étude, les électrodes à base d’hydroxyde de nickel-cobalt, à présent à bas niveau de maturité (échelle de laboratoire) sont évaluées dans l’optique d’étudier des priorités environnementales des voies de synthèse favorables. Dans le troisième cas d’étude, les chargeurs organiques photovoltaïques portables pour petits équipements éléctroniques, actuellement à un niveau de maturité intermédiaire (échelle pilote), sont évalués pour remplacement du réseau électrique traditionnel pour le chargement de téléphones portables.Energy materials are particularly important from a sustainability perspective for advancing renewable energy systems, including energy production and storage. Their appropriate use and development require quantitative assessment methods. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method to support sustainable development that can be used to identify environmental hotspots and compare different technologies. The purpose of this research is to support development of several energy materials and make LCA a more relevant tool for sustainability assessment by extending its use in two emerging directions: assessment of technologies at the early stage of development, and by supporting more resource-effective choices for a circular economy.The research objectives focus on informing the development of technologies and identifying methodological challenges and opportunities by applying LCA to three energy-technology case studies, each at a different technological maturity level. In the first case study, alkaline batteries, currently at a high maturity level (incumbent products), are evaluated using LCA in combination with a circular economy indicator, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI). The aim was to investigate opportunities to combine the two methods, while considering trade-offs between indicators for different strategies for battery design and management. In the second case study, nickel-cobalt hydroxide charge storage electrodes, currently at a low maturity level (laboratory-scale), are evaluated to investigate environmental hotspots and preferred synthesis route. In the third case study, organic photovoltaic portable chargers for small electronics, currently at a medium maturity level (pilot-scale), are evaluated for replacing conventional electricity grid for charging a mobile phone

Towards sustainable energy materials : broadening life cycle assessment for emerging technology development and resource-effective choices

Les matériaux énergétiques sont particulièrement intéressants du point de vue du développement durable pour faire progresser les systèmes d’énergie renouvelable, notamment les énergies de production et de stockage. Leurs utilisations appropriées ainsi que leur développement requièrent une méthode d’évaluation quantitative. L’Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) est une méthode qui soutient le développement durable par l’identification de priorités environnementales ainsi que par la comparaison de différentes technologies. Cette recherche vise à soutenir le développement des matériaux énergétiques et de faire de la méthode d'analyse du cycle de vie un outil plus pertinent pour l'évaluation environnementale à travers l’extension de son usage dans deux directions émergentes : l’évaluation des technologies au début de leur développement et le soutien des choix économes en ressources dans le contexte d'une économie circulaire.Les objectifs de recherche se focalisent sur le développement de l’information relatives aux technologies ainsi que sur la méthodologie d’identification des défis et opportunités par l’application de l’ACV sur trois études de cas de technologie énergétique à différents niveaux de maturité. Dans le premier cas d’étude, les piles alcalines, actuellement à haut niveau de maturité () sont évalué grâce à l’utilisation de l’ACV combiné avec un indicateur d’économie circulaire, l'indicateur de circularité du matériau (MCI). Le but était d’explorer une opportunité de couplage des deux méthodes ainsi que les compromis entre les indicateurs pour différentes stratégies de conception et de gestion de ces batteries. Dans le deuxième cas d’étude, les électrodes à base d’hydroxyde de nickel-cobalt, à présent à bas niveau de maturité (échelle de laboratoire) sont évaluées dans l’optique d’étudier des priorités environnementales des voies de synthèse favorables. Dans le troisième cas d’étude, les chargeurs organiques photovoltaïques portables pour petits équipements éléctroniques, actuellement à un niveau de maturité intermédiaire (échelle pilote), sont évalués pour remplacement du réseau électrique traditionnel pour le chargement de téléphones portables.Energy materials are particularly important from a sustainability perspective for advancing renewable energy systems, including energy production and storage. Their appropriate use and development require quantitative assessment methods. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method to support sustainable development that can be used to identify environmental hotspots and compare different technologies. The purpose of this research is to support development of several energy materials and make LCA a more relevant tool for sustainability assessment by extending its use in two emerging directions: assessment of technologies at the early stage of development, and by supporting more resource-effective choices for a circular economy.The research objectives focus on informing the development of technologies and identifying methodological challenges and opportunities by applying LCA to three energy-technology case studies, each at a different technological maturity level. In the first case study, alkaline batteries, currently at a high maturity level (incumbent products), are evaluated using LCA in combination with a circular economy indicator, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI). The aim was to investigate opportunities to combine the two methods, while considering trade-offs between indicators for different strategies for battery design and management. In the second case study, nickel-cobalt hydroxide charge storage electrodes, currently at a low maturity level (laboratory-scale), are evaluated to investigate environmental hotspots and preferred synthesis route. In the third case study, organic photovoltaic portable chargers for small electronics, currently at a medium maturity level (pilot-scale), are evaluated for replacing conventional electricity grid for charging a mobile phone

Vers des matériaux énergétiques durables : élargissement de l'analyse du cycle de vie pour le développement de technologies émergentes et des choix économes en ressources

Energy materials are particularly important from a sustainability perspective for advancing renewable energy systems, including energy production and storage. Their appropriate use and development require quantitative assessment methods. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method to support sustainable development that can be used to identify environmental hotspots and compare different technologies. The purpose of this research is to support development of several energy materials and make LCA a more relevant tool for sustainability assessment by extending its use in two emerging directions: assessment of technologies at the early stage of development, and by supporting more resource-effective choices for a circular economy.The research objectives focus on informing the development of technologies and identifying methodological challenges and opportunities by applying LCA to three energy-technology case studies, each at a different technological maturity level. In the first case study, alkaline batteries, currently at a high maturity level (incumbent products), are evaluated using LCA in combination with a circular economy indicator, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI). The aim was to investigate opportunities to combine the two methods, while considering trade-offs between indicators for different strategies for battery design and management. In the second case study, nickel-cobalt hydroxide charge storage electrodes, currently at a low maturity level (laboratory-scale), are evaluated to investigate environmental hotspots and preferred synthesis route. In the third case study, organic photovoltaic portable chargers for small electronics, currently at a medium maturity level (pilot-scale), are evaluated for replacing conventional electricity grid for charging a mobile phone.Les matériaux énergétiques sont particulièrement intéressants du point de vue du développement durable pour faire progresser les systèmes d’énergie renouvelable, notamment les énergies de production et de stockage. Leurs utilisations appropriées ainsi que leur développement requièrent une méthode d’évaluation quantitative. L’Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) est une méthode qui soutient le développement durable par l’identification de priorités environnementales ainsi que par la comparaison de différentes technologies. Cette recherche vise à soutenir le développement des matériaux énergétiques et de faire de la méthode d'analyse du cycle de vie un outil plus pertinent pour l'évaluation environnementale à travers l’extension de son usage dans deux directions émergentes : l’évaluation des technologies au début de leur développement et le soutien des choix économes en ressources dans le contexte d'une économie circulaire.Les objectifs de recherche se focalisent sur le développement de l’information relatives aux technologies ainsi que sur la méthodologie d’identification des défis et opportunités par l’application de l’ACV sur trois études de cas de technologie énergétique à différents niveaux de maturité. Dans le premier cas d’étude, les piles alcalines, actuellement à haut niveau de maturité () sont évalué grâce à l’utilisation de l’ACV combiné avec un indicateur d’économie circulaire, l'indicateur de circularité du matériau (MCI). Le but était d’explorer une opportunité de couplage des deux méthodes ainsi que les compromis entre les indicateurs pour différentes stratégies de conception et de gestion de ces batteries. Dans le deuxième cas d’étude, les électrodes à base d’hydroxyde de nickel-cobalt, à présent à bas niveau de maturité (échelle de laboratoire) sont évaluées dans l’optique d’étudier des priorités environnementales des voies de synthèse favorables. Dans le troisième cas d’étude, les chargeurs organiques photovoltaïques portables pour petits équipements éléctroniques, actuellement à un niveau de maturité intermédiaire (échelle pilote), sont évalués pour remplacement du réseau électrique traditionnel pour le chargement de téléphones portables

Life cycle assessment of organic photovoltaic charger use in Europe: the role of product use intensity and irradiation

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.155. © 2019. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Solar chargers for mobile phones are the first integration of organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology into commercial products. Although environmental impacts of OPVs have been studied extensively, the performance of chargers have been narrowly examined in reference to intensity of their use and use geographies. To explore these aspects, we study the environmental impacts of OPV chargers considering the charger as a substitute for a local electricity grid supply for charging a mobile phone. A consequential life-cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to evaluate the environmental performance of the OPV charger in six European countries representative of different electricity grids and solar irradiation contexts. Particular effort is made to explore the implications of use intensity of the charger and determine a frequency at which charger is competitive. The results suggest that using an OPV charger has the potential to be environmentally friendly only in countries with high fossil-fuel share in their electricity supplies. The OPV charger is environmentally beneficial in Greece and Spain across most of the evaluated impact categories if used 100–120 times per year, which is practical given the high solar insulation in the two countries. Charging a phone with OPV in Germany or the Netherlands is environmentally-friendly only under conditions of intensive use of the device, or for selective impact categories. In the category of climate change, charging with OPV would represent an improvement in Greece and Germany. In two countries a phone-charging supported by OPV generates 2.5 kg of CO2-equivalents per year in comparison to 2.9–3 kg CO2-equivalents charging from the grid. Phone-charging supported by OPV in Norway and France is more impactful than using the grid for the majority of impact categories, including the category of climate change. The study contributes a novel methodology for looking at photovoltaic technology and helps inform users and policymakers who should consider the local context before an adoption of environmental technologies.We acknowledge the financial support of IDS-FunMat, University of Waterloo, University of Bordeaux and Erasmus+ in support of E.G. and the DFG in the framework of the Excellence Initiative, Darmstadt Graduate School of Excellence Energy Science and Engineering (GSC1070) in support of S.W

Life cycle assessment of the production of surface-active alkyl polyglycosides from acid-assisted ball-milled wheat straw compared to the conventional production based on corn-starch

International audienc

Development of eco-efficient smart electronics for anticounterfeiting and shock detection based on printable inks

Printed electronics are expected to meet an increasing demand for improved functionality and autonomy of products in the context of Internet-of-Things. With this trend, the environmental performance of novel technologies is of growing importance. The current study presents the life cycle assessment of two novel devices: an anticounterfeit label based on the electrochromic display and a shock-detection tag based on the piezoelectric sensor, designed for the use in packaging of pharmaceuticals and luxury items to improve the safety and accountability in the supply chain. The devices are manufactured by means of energy-efficient printing techniques on a low-cost flexible and recyclable paper substrate. Comprehensive cradle-to-grave analysis contributes to industrial-scale energy and material life cycle inventories and identifies the main impact hotspots evaluated for a broad range of categories of the ReCiPe midpoint (H) impact assessment method. Results show that major impact burdens are associated with the near-field communication chip and radio-frequency identification antenna, while the impacts of solvents, process energy, electrochromic display/piezoelectric sensor, Li-ion battery, and substrate are comparatively small. In terms of their global warming potential, both the anticounterfeit label and shock-detection tag embody around 0.23 kg of CO2-equiv. Several material-use reduction and material-substitution strategies are quantified and discussed for their potential to reduce high impacts of the antenna.Expertise hub for a market uptake of energy-efficient supermarkets by awareness raising, knowledge transfer and pre-preparation of an EU Ecolabe