In this dissertation, we analyze the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the Steam Sterilizer, popularly known as Autoclave. The LCA will help Getinge Sterilization AB to identify the stages of the life cycle of Autoclave model GSS-P 91413, which contributes more to the environmental footprint. We use the ISO 14040 LCA framework to conduct the Cradle to Grave boundary study of the Autoclave. The results have shown the use phase to be a dominant phase with almost 84% of carbon footprint. For Getinge to produce sustainable products and reach its long-term goal of becoming carbon neutral, they need to reduce its environmental footprint in every phase of the product life cycle. Thus, this report suggests the best way that the company can impact the changes to the users even though they have very little control over it. The results were obtained using the Sustainable Minds (SM 2013) software, which is ISO certified, henceforth the results are trustworthy. This Thesis has 8 parts: Introduction, Method, Theory, Results, Conclusion, Critical Review, References, and Appendices.

Examensarbetet är en studie av den fasta delen av takkonstruktionen i Swedbank Arena. Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka hur valet av att använda höghållfast stål påverkat kostnader och miljö under hela konstruktionens livstid. I undersökningen har takkonstruktionen dimensionerats med tre olika alternativ där andelen höghållfast stål i konstruktionen har varierats. Nedan beskrivs översiktligt de stålsorter som alternativen är uppbyggda av.   -          Alternativ A innehåller endast konventionellt stål som har sträckgräns 355 MPa. -          Alternativ B är det alternativ som byggts i verkligheten. Den verkliga konstruktionen innehåller stålsorter med sträckgränser mellan 355 MPa - 900 MPa. -          Alternativ C innehåller en större andel höghållfast stål än den verkliga konstruktionen. Detta alternativ innehåller stålsorter med sträckgränser 355- 900 MPa.   Dimensioneringen av takkonstruktionen har utförts med programmet Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2010 som innehåller automatisk normkontroll enligt Boverkets handbok om stålkonstruktioner, BSK07. I analysen har två modeller skapats, alternativ A och C, för att kunna jämföras med den verkliga takkonstruktionen, alternativ B. Resultaten från analysen har använts i beräkningarna av kostnad och miljöpåverkan.   För att beräkna miljöpåverkan användes ett livscykelanalysverktyg som är speciellt utvecklat för stål. I studien jämfördes miljöpåverkan för alternativen med höghållfast stål med ett alternativ som endast består av konventionellt stål. Det har antagits att miljöpåverkan under profiltillverkning, montage och användningsfasen är lika stora eller försumbar för studien. Miljöstudien är en jämförelsestudie. Det innebär att områden i konstruktionens livscykel som resulterar i lika stor miljöpåverkan för samtliga alternativ inte tas med i beräkningen.   Kostnadsberäkningen har genomförts i samarbete med Ruukki. Med resultaten från analysen i Robot skapades ett frågeunderlag som Ruukki använde för att beräkna de totala kostnaderna för samtliga alternativ. Det som Ruukki beaktade vid prissättningen var materialpris, svetsning i verkstad, målning, transport och eventuellt byte av kran vid montage. I kostnadsanalysen har det antagits att projekteringskostnader och användning av takkonstruktionen är densamma för samtliga alternativ. Kostnadsanalysen har utförts som en jämförelsestudie mellan de olika alternativen.   Stålmängderna minskar när man använder sig av höghållfast stål. Detta har medfört att både den totala kostnaden och miljöpåverkan för den verkliga konstruktionen blivit lägre i jämförelse med en konstruktion som endast består av konventionellt stål. Genom att använda höghållfast stål har man sparat mycket pengar och samtidigt reducerat miljöpåverkan. / The thesis is a study of the fixed part of the roof structure in Swedbank Arena. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the choice of using high strength steel has influenced costs and environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle. The roof has been designed with three different alternatives in which the proportion of the high-strength has varied. The following text describes briefly which grades the alternatives are composed of.   -          Alternative A contains only conventional steel with a yield strength of 355 MPa. -          Alternative B is the design that has been built. This structure contains steel with a yield strength between 355- 900 MPa. -          Alternative C contains a larger proportion of high-strength steel than the existening construction. This alternative contains steel with a yield strength between 355-900 MPa.   The calculations of the roof structure have been performed with the program Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2010 which has an automatic code check according to BSK07, a publication from the Swedish national Board of Housing, Building and Planning. Two different models, alternative A and C, have been created and compared with the real structure, alternative B. The results from this analysis have been used in the calculations of cost and environmental impact.   In the calculations of environmental impact a life cycle analysis tool was used that has been developed especially for steel. The study compared the environmental impact of the alternatives with high strength steel with the alternative that only consists of conventional steel. It has been assumed that the environmental impact in the manufacturing of the profiles, assembly of the steel construction and the use phase is equal or negligible for the study. The environmental study is a comparison study. This means that parts of the constructions life cycle that result in an equal environment impact for all alternatives are not calculated in the study.   The cost estimation was calculated in collaboration with Ruukki. The result of the analysis in Robot was used as a tender request that Ruukki used to calculate the total costs of all alternatives. In the cost calculations Ruukki took into account the differences in material prices, welding in the steel factory, painting, transportation and possible replacement of the crane during assembly. In the cost analysis it has been assumed that the cost of designing the roof structure and the use phase is the same for all alternatives. The cost analysis has been performed as a comparison study between the different alternatives.   The result of the study shows that the steel volume decreased when the structure consists of high strength steel. The decrease of the steel volume resulted in a reduced total cost and environmental impact. By using high strength steel a lot of money has been saved and in the same time the environmental impact has decreased. The thesis is a study of the fixed part of the roof structure in Swedbank Arena. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the choice of using high strength steel has influenced costs and environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle. The roof has been designed with three different alternatives in which the proportion of the high-strength has varied. The following text describes briefly which grades the alternatives are composed of.   -          Alternative A contains only conventional steel with a yield strength of 355 MPa. -          Alternative B is the design that has been built. This structure contains steel with a yield strength between 355- 900 MPa. -          Alternative C contains a larger proportion of high-strength steel than the existening construction. This alternative contains steel with a yield strength between 355-900 MPa.   The calculations of the roof structure have been performed with the program Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional 2010 which has an automatic code check according to BSK07, a publication from the Swedish national Board of Housing, Building and Planning. Two different models, alternative A and C, have been created and compared with the real structure, alternative B. The results from this analysis have been used in the calculations of cost and environmental impact.   In the calculations of environmental impact a life cycle analysis tool was used that has been developed especially for steel. The study compared the environmental impact of the alternatives with high strength steel with the alternative that only consists of conventional steel. It has been assumed that the environmental impact in the manufacturing of the profiles, assembly of the steel construction and the use phase is equal or negligible for the study. The environmental study is a comparison study. This means that parts of the constructions life cycle that result in an equal environment impact for all alternatives are not calculated in the study.   The cost estimation was calculated in collaboration with Ruukki. The result of the analysis in Robot was used as a tender request that Ruukki used to calculate the total costs of all alternatives. In the cost calculations Ruukki took into account the differences in material prices, welding in the steel factory, painting, transportation and possible replacement of the crane during assembly. In the cost analysis it has been assumed that the cost of designing the roof structure and the use phase is the same for all alternatives. The cost analysis has been performed as a comparison study between the different alternatives.   The result of the study shows that the steel volume decreased when the structure consists of high strength steel. The decrease of the steel volume resulted in a reduced total cost and environmental impact. By using high strength steel a lot of money has been saved and in the same time the environmental impact has decreased.

Enhanced global warming is a phenomenon international organizations collaborates tocounteract by setting international standards, stricter environmental requirements, requirements on environmental product declarations (EPD) and to make companies provide statements on how their operation affects the environment. Green building is becoming more attractive which creates higher demand for climate friendly buildingmaterials and construction projects. Steel and glulam are two of the most commonly used structural elements used for framework in hall constructions and their impact on global warming is compared in this study using life cycle analysis (LCA). As a basis for LCA a fictitious hall constructionis built with glulam respective steel framework, geographically located in Fredriksskans, Gävleborg. Indata to LCA originates from product specific EPDs, peerreview articles and other relevant research, calculations are done according to international standards. Results show that greenhouse gas emissions from the materials greatly depends on how the materials are used when recycling. Hall constructions built with steel framework produce 139 % more greenhouse gas emissions than a hall built with glulam if both materials are recycled for environmentally friendly purposes. / Förstärkt global uppvärmning är ett fenomen internationella organisationer gått sammanför att försöka motverka genom internationella standarder, förhöjda miljökrav, krav påmiljövarudeklarationer (EPD) och att företag skall kunna presentera sin miljöpåverkanorsakad av den bedrivna verksamheten. Grönt byggande blir allt mer attraktivt vilket leder till ökat intresse för utveckling av miljösmarta byggnadsmaterial och byggnadsprojekt.Stål och limträ är två av de vanligaste använda bärande elementen vid hallkonstruktioner och dess bidrag till den globala uppvärmningen jämförs i detta arbete med hjälp av livscykelanalys (LCA). Till grund för LCA konstrueras en fiktiv hallbyggnad med limträ respektive stålstomme, geografiskt läge Fredriksskans i Gävleborg. Indata till LCA härstammar från produktspecifika miljövarudeklarationer, vetenskapliga artiklar och annan relevant forskning, beräkningen sker enligt internationell standard. Resultatet visar att växthusgasutsläppen av respektive material påverkas till stor del avhur materialet utnyttjas vid återvinning. Hallbyggnad konstruerad med stålstomme producerar cirka 139 % mer växthusgaser än om den skulle byggas med limträ och respektive material återvinns för miljövänliga ändamål.

Byggbranschen står för ca 20 % av Sveriges totala utsläpp av koldioxidekvivalenter och Sverige har som mål att inte ha några nettoutsläpp av växthusgaser år 2045. Det behöver därför göras något för att minska utsläppen. Olika material genererar olika mycket utsläpp av växthusgaser under sin livscykel och ett sätt att minska utsläppen är därför att välja material med låga utsläpp. Syftet med studien är att med hjälp av livscykelmetodik jämföra bidrag till klimatpåverkan från en bullerskärm med träullsskivor och en med lime hempcrete-panel. Förhoppningen är att denna studie kan få beställare av bullerskärmar att välja en skärm som bidrar till ett mindre utsläpp av växthusgaser. De metoder som valts för att kunna besvara studiens frågeställningar är litteratursökning, intervju, livscykelmetodik och ett beräkningsverktyg, förenklade klimatåtgärdsverktyget. Studien pekar på att den bästa bullerskärmen för miljön är den av lime hempcrete, dock har även bullerskärmen av träullit liten klimatpåverkan då även den är gjord av biobaserade material som binder koldioxid. För att minimera utsläppen för båda bullerskärmarna ytterligare finns det olika metoder, byta drivmedel för arbetsmaskinerna, minimera transportsträckor och att använda återvunnet stål & metall. Det finns inga direkt jämförbara eller opartiskt granskade värden för koldioxidbindning vilket kan anses påverkar validiteten för studien. Då emissionsvärdena för koldioxidbindning har hämtats genom litteraturstudier har variationen bidragit till att två extremvärden har valts för beräkningarna. Detta kan tyckas ge en mer representativ bild av materialen då hela spannet tydliggörs. En standardiserad metod för om/hur beräkning med koldioxidbindning ska göras hade skapat en transparens vid beräkning av livscykelanalyser för biobaserade material. / The construction industry accounts for about 20% of Sweden's total emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents and because Sweden aims to have no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, something must be done to minimize emissions. Materials generate different emissions during their life cycle and one way of reducing emissions could be to choose materials with low emissions. The purpose of the study is to compare contributions to the climate impact between a noise screen with wood wool boards and one with lime hempcrete panel, using life cycle methodology. The methods chosen for the study are literature search, document analysis, interview, life cycle methodology and a calculation tool, förenklade klimatåtgärdsverktyget.The study indicates that the best noise screen for the environment is that of lime hempcrete, however the noise screen of wood wool also have little climate impact, since it is also made of bio-based materials that bind carbon dioxide. To minimize emissions for both noise screens further, there are different methods, changing fuel for the working machines, minimizing transport distances and using recycled steel & metal.There are no directly comparable or partially examined values for carbon dioxide binding which can be considered to affect the validity of the study. As the emission values for carbon dioxide binding have been obtained through literature studies, the variation has contributed to the selection of two extreme values for the calculations. This may seem to give a more representative view of the materials as the entire span is clarified. A standardized method for how calculation with carbon sequestration should be done would create a transparency in the calculation of life cycles for bio-based materials.

To achieve the aim of low carbon cities and zero energy districts, it is important to adapt the efficient technologies while maintaining the thermal comfort and sustainable environment. The new challenge in design and building new districts lies in a sustainable and smart way to minimize energy consumption and thus carbon emission. This challenge can be overcome by the use of early-stage energetic and environmental analysis of the planned districts, which can result in sustainable and efficient use of the resources. This thesis aims to assess the energy demand and the carbon emission for the proposed design of Jakobsgårdarna district in Borlänge, Sweden. The complete analysis of the neighbourhood is assessed through a tool - Urban Modeling Interface, a Rhinoceros-based plugin developed by the Sustainable Design Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. A base case scenario is evaluated for energetic performance, lighting, heating, cooling, hot water, daylight potential, walkability, and life cycle assessment. Then, a sensitivity analysis is addressed, in particular to evaluate the impact of daylight potential, archetypes, window to wall ratio, wall materials, future climate, and a possible lockdown, on energy consumption and carbon emission. In the base case, the analysis shows that preschool has the lowest specific energy consumption of 64.1 kWh/m2, while retail shops have the highest (92.2 kWh/m2) energy consumption. The simulated energy consumption of the offices and residential buildings is 72.1 kWh/m2, and 80.4 kWh/m2 respectively. The life cycle assessment reveals the advantage of the environment from building wooden houses instead of using concrete or masonry. The total embodied carbon for the whole district is 149.3 kgCO2/m2 divided as follow: 160.9 kgCO2/m2 for the school; 164.9 kgCO2/m2 for the offices, 159.6 kgCO2/m2 for the retail shops, 55.0 kgCO2/m2 for the wood residential buildings, 164.9 kgCO2/m2 for the masonry residential buildings. The sensitivity analysis explains exhaustively the influence, which has changes in the base case scenario. In particular, the future climate will decrease heating consumption due to the increase of the mean annual temperature and, on the other hand, increase cooling demand. While a possible lockdown to the district will rise consumption in residential buildings due to a higher use of equipment and lighting, but it will lower the energy use of offices and schools. The overall research results are expected to be useful to propose suggestions and recommendations for the next steps of design about Jakobsgårdarna district in Borlänge.

Goal of this work is to analyze life cycle assessment of building construction systems. LCA has been made by two different methods. One is based on ISO standards (Athena) and other on works with Ecoindicator (Ecolizer). Subject of comparison has been life cycle stages, materials and construction systems. The best results of constructions recived construction made of brick block and wood based Two by Four difuse-open construction. The worst construction is rebar-concrete one and most difficult was to understand results of construction made of CLT panel.

Underhåll och fastighetsförvaltningen utgör en väsentlig del av en byggnads livscykel. Vid projekteringsfasen finns sällan en underhållsplan upprättad. Detta medför att fastighetsägarna vid övertagandet från entreprenaden får fastslå en årlig avsättning till underhållsfonden, i den ekonomiska planen, genom att beräkna en viss andel av taxeringsvärdet. Om det vid förstudie och projektering kan kartläggas vilka underhållsåtgärder som har störst påverkan på ekonomi och miljö skulle dessa åtgärder kunna tas hänsyn till redan vid uppförandet. Syftet med arbetet var att identifiera de viktigaste åtgärderna att ta hänsyn till vid underhållsplanering av en flerbostadsfastighet med bostadsrätt som upplåtelseform. Målet för studien var att selektera och rangordna de fem komponenter där materialvalen har störst betydelse ur både ekonomisk och miljömässig synpunkt. Studien har utförts med inriktning på flerbostadsfastigheter producerade som koncepthus. Då teorin gällande underhållsplaner och följderna av materialval under byggandet var mycket begränsad valdes att utföra en intervju. En underhållsplan med tre materialval på var och en av komponenterna har upprättats för att jämföra kostnader över tid. En livscykelkostnadsanalys (LCC) utfördes för att kunna bedöma vilka kostnader som belastar de olika materialalternativen, dock har driftkostnader inte inkluderats. En livscykelanalys (LCA) har genomförts i form av miljödeklarationer (EPD) för varje individuellt material med hjälp av Byggsektorns Miljöberäkningsprogram (BM). Slutsatsen blev att materialvalet av de komponenter som har störst betydelse på fastighetskostnader under en 40-årsperiod är enlig följande: 1. Fasadbeklädnad, 2. Hiss, 3. Fönster, 4. Takbeklädnad, och 5. Parkeringsbeläggning. Om totalkostnaden för dessa komponenter tas med i beräkningen redan vid förstudie och projektering skulle det kunna leda till utgifter för fastighetsägaren över tid.

Battery electric vehicles (BEV) powered by renewable energy are expected to enable a largedecarbonization of the land-based transport. Recent estimations of the International EnergyAgency suggest that BEVs could grow 20-fold by 2030, reaching 200 to 350 million unitsglobally. However, the environmental impacts of BEVs remains a critical issue to be addressed.Batteries are responsible for 80% of the life cycle environmental impacts of BEVs, mainly dueto the extraction of raw materials, manufacture and charge. A concept that aims at avoiding theexploitation of new materials by extending the lifetime of resources and products is circularity.Among various circular business models, one that so far has not been substantially addressedin the literature is battery leasing.This thesis investigates the economic and environmental impacts of leasing batteries for BEVsas a circular business model and compares them to those of the linear model of selling-buyingbatteries. For doing this, we combine three models, namely a battery fleet model, a net presentvalue (NPV) model and a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA). In contrast to commonLCAs, our battery fleet model considers different types of driving profiles instead of the typical‘average’ profile, which offers a more accurate depiction of reality.Results indicate that leasing batteries may be as profitable as selling them, but leasingcompanies may require higher revenues and pay higher taxes to attain the same NPV as selling.To generate more income, companies would need to charge fees to customers that are notalways beneficial for them. In fact, buying the battery remains the cheapest option for usersdriving more than 10 thousand km/year, which is the majority. From an environmentalperspective, LCA results show that environmental benefits of leasing batteries compared toselling them are marginal. This suggests that while leasing batteries offer some advantages(e.g., making BEVs more affordable, facilitating flexibility to users, promote the repairing,repurpose and recycling of batteries, etc.), it is unlikely to improve the cost-effectiveness andenvironmental impact of buying/selling them.

There has been a rise in greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial revolution. Today the steel industry is one of the industries with the highest emissions of greenhouse gas and impact on the climate. To identify and handle the environmental impact from products and processes, industries can adapt a life cycle perspective, which enables the use of the life cycle assessment method. The purpose of this study was to examine how the result of a life cycle assessment can be used, communicated, and affect future decisions in a steel company, furthermore, to identify challenges and strengths with the method life cycle assessment.     This study was performed as a case study. The purpose of the study was answered by a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study's scientific approach was abductive which enabled the writers to go back and forth between theoretical and empirical research. Sources for data collection consisted of primary and secondary data. The primary data collection consisted of mapping the processes for two bars and one hollow bar, identification of product recipe for all products, gathering of data from the computer program GaBi, interviews and observations. Secondary data was collected from scientific articles and other published literature, which was used in the theoretical framework to support discussions and analysis regarding the study's research questions.     The results of the life cycle assessments showed that mining and processing of raw materials contributed with the greatest emissions of greenhouse gases. In the study's chapter for analysis and discussion the theory was set against the result, to examine which areas of uses, communication opportunities, challenges and strengths that were linked to the method life cycle assessment. The analysis of the theoretical framework and the result of the study showed that a life cycle assessment has many areas of use, the respondents, however, did not have knowledge of all of them. Regarding communication of a life cycle assessment, scientifical sources, other publications and the results from the interviews showed that life cycle assessments should be communicated, however, difficulties arose in finding sources that dealt with how the results should be communicated. It was evident from the study that the biggest challenge with the method life cycle assessment were the data collection phase and choice of demarcation. Strengths with the method were, among other, the opportunity to identify what measures to prioritize to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to strengthen the marketing credibility. The conclusion ends with a presentation of suggestions for improvements, the study’s restrictions and suggestions for future studies.

Background: In a world where awareness in climate change is growing, humans need tofind new more sustainable ways towards prosperity and development. Theconstruction industry today is one of the industries where waste iscreated while pace of innovation is low compared to other industries.Theory: To reduce waste, humans need more technical solutions, for instance whenit comes to durability, materials used and carbon dioxide emissions.These solutions also need to be economically sustainable for companieswanting to implement them.Method: This bachelor thesis investigates how different cross sections ofcomposite columns with steel and concrete behaves compared to moreconventional columns of steel or concrete when it comes to climateimpact, costs, durability, and the total size of the columns in themanufacturing stage. The study focuses on four cross sections ofcomposite columns, two cross sections of steel columns and one crosssection of reinforced concrete. The results are based on strength analyses made in MathCADand a life cycle analysis made in OneClickLCA. All results have been verified through othersoftware and different calculation examples in study literature.Results: The results show that composite beams can reduce costs, climate impactand size compared to the conventional steel columns. Although theconcrete column performs better in cost and climate impact, the composite beam is generallyslimmer and has a higher crack load.