Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been successfully used as an environmental assessment tool for the development of ecologically sustainable products. The application of LCA in the early design stage has been constrained by the requirement of large amounts of data and time for carrying out the assessment. In addition, the complexity of LCA causes further difficulties for product developers. In order to integrate the environmental assessment into the process of product development, this research proposes an integrated decision model for sustainable product development and a simplified LCA approach for the application in the early stage of product design. The main advantage of the proposed model is that it incorporates the environmental aspects of product development into the existing product development framework. It enables designers to strike a balance between the product???s environmental performance and other traditional design objectives. The simplified LCA approach is based on the concept and application of Environmental Impact Drivers. Material-based environmental impacts and Energy-based environmental impacts are used to predict the total environmental impact of a product. Two sets of impact drivers were developed accordingly. The Material-based Impact Drivers were identified by classifying materials into 16 groups according to the nature of the materials and their environmental performance. Energy-based Impact Drivers were developed for various energy sources in major industrial regions. Product LCA cases were used to verify the proposed methods. The results computed by the application of the impact drivers were compared with the results of full LCA studies. It is concluded that with the proposed approach, the product???s environmental performance can be assessed in a very short time and with very basic data input requirements and acceptable accuracy.

This report documents an MSc Thesis work of sub-transmission reliability study using PSS/Eperformed at Vattenfall. The network that is examined in this thesis is a sub-transmission network.Vattenfall Distribution Sweden is going to invest and rebuild the network in their 70 and 130 kVmeshed sub transmission network. To invest and rebuild in a network is very expensive. The gridowners want a reliable system that has a high reliability at a low cost.The main focus in this thesis is to examine different substation layouts. Calculating the failureintensities and unavailability for the different substation layouts gives the opportunity to do a life cyclecosts (LCC) on the different substations. With help of LCC calculations it is possible to find thesubstation that gives the lowest cost during a life time. Choosing right equipment in the grid will helpthe Vattenfall network company lower their equipment costs.The thesis work consists of mainly three parts as follows. Network modeling in PSS/EA subset of the existing sub transmission network was used in the project. This subset was taken outfrom the complete network model and modeled in PSS/E. Validation of PSS/E reliability modulesPSS/E reliability modules were new and have not been used earlier by the Vattenfall networkcompany. To be sure that the program calculates correctly a validation was performed. The main focusof the validation has been in looking if the program calculates the interrupted power correctly. Reliability analysis of different substation layoutsFor each of the substation layout the reliability was calculated. On component level (e.g. breaker,disconnector) different types of configuration were studied. To find out the best layout from aneconomical point of view a LCC calculation was also performed.The LCC calculation on the different substation layouts showed that the investment costs affect theresult very much. When the active power through the substation is low it is preferred to use asubstation that has low investment costs. At active power that is 30 MW or higher it is preferred to usethe substation with higher reliability (having higher investment cost). The result shows that using acombined breaker and disconnector instead of circuit breaker could lower the failure intensity andunavailability of substations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2011 Aug 11

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The transportation infrastructure systems in the United States were built between the 50's and 80's, with 20 years design life. As most of them already exceeded their original life expectancy, state transportation agencies (STAs) are now under increased needs to rebuild deteriorated transportation networks. For major highway maintenance projects, a federal rule enforces to perform a life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA). The lack of analytical methods for LCCA creates many challenges of STAs to comply with the rule. To address these critical issues, this study aims at developing a new methodology for quantifying the future maintenance cost to assist STAs in performing a LCCA. The major objectives of this research are twofold: 1) identify the critical factors that affect pavement performances; 2) develop a stochastic model that predicts future maintenance costs of flexible-type pavement in Texas. The study data were gathered through the Pavement Management Information System (PMIS) containing more than 190,000 highway sections in Texas. These data were then grouped by critical performance-driven factor which was identified by K-means cluster analysis. Many factors were evaluated to identify the most critical factors that affect pavement maintenance need. With these data, a series of regression analyses were carried out to develop predictive models. Lastly, a validation study with PRESS statistics was conducted to evaluate reliability of the model. The research results reveal that three factors, annual average temperature, annual precipitation, and pavement age, were the most critical factors under very low traffic volume conditions. This research effort was the first of its kind undertaken in this subject. The maintenance cost lookup tables and stochastic model will assist STAs in carrying out a LCCA, with the reliable estimation of maintenance costs. This research also provides the research community with the first view and systematic estimation method that STAs can use to determine long-term maintenance costs in estimating life-cycle costs. It will reduce the agency's expenses in the time and effort required for conducting a LCCA. Estimating long-term maintenance cost is a core component of the LCCA. Therefore, methods developed from this project have the great potential to improve the accuracy of LCCA.

A sustainable development of entrepreneurship will not be possible in such a complex andchallenging environment as today’s society, without the attainment of effective learning andbusiness support capabilities (Williams, 1998). One such support is obtained through havingexperienced entrepreneurs mentor less experienced entrepreneurs, transferring knowledge(Clutterbuck, 2004) and facilitating learning (Sullivan, 2000). As Leonard Bisk (2002)and Sullivan (2000) among other researchers (Deakins et al. 1997) stress, there is a need tolook beyond the start-up process of a firm and the use of mentorship in this early phase,and focus more on how entrepreneurs who have been in business for a while can benefitfrom a mentor program, an area referred to as “the nature of timing and support” (Sullivan,2000, p. 163). The purpose of this thesis is to explore how an experienced entrepreneur, a mentor, canhelp a less experienced entrepreneur, an adept, achieve entrepreneurial development duringand throughout different phases of the entrepreneurial life cycle, in the most efficient manner. An entrepreneurial life cycle can be divided into several phases, which can be used in orderto examine the entrepreneur’s development process within different time periods of runninga firm. Start-up support generally involves providing entrepreneurs with the crucial“tools” for survival, such as basic financial support, bookkeeping and marketing (Sullivan,2000). Mature entrepreneurs generally request psychological benefits, such as reassuranceand improved confidence as they wonder whether or not their experiences are normal andhow they should be interpreted (Megginson et al. 2006). There are two types of directivementoring styles, coaching and counseling, and two types of non directive mentoring,counseling and networking. The main objective with our research in this thesis was to explore how entrepreneurs’ developmentthroughout and during different phases was affected by active participation in amentor program. To gather information we used a qualitative method, in which we interviewedten entrepreneurs who were currently active in a mentor program, or had been activewithin the last 12 months. The empirical findings were later analyzed in the light of theframe of references and the authors own viewpoint, by conducting a within case/cross casecomparisons. The results indicate that a mentor can best help an entrepreneur achieve entrepreneurialdevelopment by providing non directive support, enabling the entrepreneur to draw his orher own conclusions and stimulate self reliance. This support is best delivered after thestart-up and conception phase, the first phase of the life-cycle.

Researchers often regard remanufacturing as an environmentally beneficial end-of-life option. There have been, however, few environmental measurements performed in the area. The aim of this paper is to identify general environmental pros and cons with remanufacturing. This is done through the analysis of practical examples in remanufacturing industries. Life Cycle Assessment methodology has been used for the environmental validations. The first conclusion, based on the industrial cases and the literature review, is that remanufacturing is preferable from a material resource perspective when compared with manufacturing of new products. The second conclusion is that remanufacturing is preferable from a more overarching perspective for some of the investigated cases, but it is not possible to draw any general conclusions since the companies studied are few and benefits from remanufacturing are highly context-related.

The production of biofuels has increased in recent years, to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate climate change. However, current production practices are heavily criticized on their environmental sustainability. Life cycle assessments have therefore been used in policies and academic studies to assess the systems; with divergent results. In the coming years however, biofuel production practices must improve to meet strict environmental sustainability policies. The aims of the research presented in this thesis, are to explore and analyze concepts from industrial symbiosis (IS) to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of biofuel production and identify possible material and energy exchanges between biofuel producers and external industries. An exploration of potential material and energy exchanges resulted in a diverse set of possible exchanges. Many exchanges were identified between biofuel producers to make use of each other’s by-products. There is also large potential for exchanges with external industries, e.g. with the food, energy and chemical producing industries. As such, the biofuel industry and external industries have possibilities for potential collaboration and environmental performance improvements, though implementation of the exchanges may be influenced by many conditions. In order to analyze if concepts from IS can provide benefits to firms of an IS network, an approach was created which outlines how quantifications of IS networks can be produced using life cycle assessment literature for guidelines and methodological considerations. The approach offers methods for quantifying the environmental performance for firms of the IS network and an approach to distribute impacts and credits for the exchanges between firm, to test the assumed benefits for the firms of the IS network. Life cycle assessment, and the approach from this thesis, have been used to quantify the environmental performance of IS networks by building scenarios based on an example from an IS network of biofuel producers in Sweden. From the analyses, it has been found that exchanges of material and energy may offer environmental performance improvements for the IS network and for firms of the network. However, the results are dependent upon the methodological considerations of the assessments, including the reference system, functional unit and allocation methods, in addition to important processes such as the agricultural inputs for the system and energy systems employed. By using industrial symbiosis concepts, biofuel producers have possibilities to improve the environmental performance. This is done by making use of by-products and waste and diversifying their products, promoting a transition toward biorefinery systems and a bio-based economy for regional environmental sustainability. / Produktionen av biobränslen har ökat de senaste åren, vilket är ett steg mot klimateffektivare lösningar i transportsektorn, men biodrivmedlen har ifrågasatts med hänvisning till tveksamheter kring deras miljö- och energiprestanda. Lifecykelanalyser har därför använts inom akademiska studier och för policy för att utvärdera systemen, dock utan samstämmiga resultat. Under de kommande åren måste därför praxis för produktion av biobränslen förbättras för att kunna möta de strikta kraven i hållbarhetskriterier för biobränslen. Syftet med forskningen som presenteras i den här doktorsavhandlingen är att utforska och analysera koncept från området Industriell symbios (IS) och därigenom identifiera förbättringar för ökad effektivitet och miljöprestanda för biobränsleproduktion. Vidare är syftet att identifiera möjliga material- och energiutbyten mellan biobränsleproducenter och externa industrier. Potentiella material- och energiutbyten undersöktes, vilket resulterade förslag på flera olika typer av potentiella utbyten. Undersökningen visar på en potential för att använda biprodukter i en biobränsleprocess som råvara till en annan biobränsleframställning. Vidare identifierades en stor potential för utbyten med externa industrier, som till exempel matproducenter samt industrier för energi och kemikalier. Det är tydligt att det finns möjligheter för biobränsleproducenter och externa industrier att samarbeta och därmed ge möjlighet till förbättringar i miljöprestandan, dock kan en implementering av dessa utbyten påverkas av många olika förutsättningar. Avhandlingen presenterar även ett tillvägagångssätt för att visa hur kvantifiering av miljöprestanda inom ett nätverk för IS kan genomföras genom att använda riktlinjer och metodavvägningar från litteratur för livscykelanalys.  Detta tillvägagångssätt kan användas för att analysera om koncept från IS kan leda till fördelar för företagen i ett IS-nätverk. Tillvägsgångssättet ger möjlighet att kvantifiera miljöprestandan för företagen i IS-nätverket och ger dessutom vägledning för hur miljöpåverkan från utbytena kan distribueras mellan de olika företagen. Metoden utvecklades för att bland annat undersöka de förmodade fördelarna från IS för varje enskild aktör. Livscykelanalys i kombination med tillvägagångssättet ovan har använts för att kvantifiera miljöprestandan för IS-nätverk genom att konstruera scenarier. Scenarierna har baserats på ett exempel från ett IS-nätverk av biobränsleprocenter i Sverige. Analyserna visar att utbyten av material- och energi kan ge förbättringar i miljöprestanda. Resultaten är dock beroende av vilka metodavvägningar som gjorts, till exempel val av referenssystem, funktionell enhet och allokeringsmetoder. Vidare spelar viktiga processer som inputs från jordbruk och val av energisystem stor roll för resultatet. Metodavvägningar för utväderingen influerar även miljöpåverkan samt hur den fördelas mellan företagen i IS-nätverket. Dessutom kan den lokala miljöpåverkan öka medan den globala påverkan minskar. Sammanfattningsvis kan biobränsleproducenter, genom att använda koncept från industriell symbios, ges möjlighet att förbättra sin miljöprestanda. Detta kan ske genom att använda biprodukter och avfall samt genom att diversifiera sina produkter som ett första steg mot en övergång mot bioraffinaderier och en mer biobaserad ekonomi för regional hållbarhet.

Plant invasions can ensue when plants are introduced to regions without their specialist enemies (the Enemy Release Hypothesis). This assumes natural enemies limit survival and fecundity in an invader's native range. I tested this assumption for a native invasive species, Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), by excluding natural enemies from seeds, seedlings and adults. At the adult stage, I added disturbance and conspecific density treatments. Protection from herbivores slightly improved performance at the seedling stage only, while disturbance greatly increased survival and fecundity. Increasing conspecific density reduced performance only in disturbed plots. I also tested herbivore tolerance using simulated damage. Heavy (75%) damage did not reduce fecundity; light damage even increased seed production. These results suggest enemies do not limit Ambrosia in its native range, especially compared to the effects of habitat disturbance. While enemy release may have occurred during Ambrosia’s invasions, it is not likely to be their principal cause.

Life cycle assessment is an important tool to evaluate the impact of 2nd generation lignocellulosic ethanol, and its potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits relative to gasoline. The choice of feedstock, process technology, and co-products may affect GHG emissions and energy metrics. Co-products may improve both the financial and environmental performance of the biorefinery. 26 well-to-wheel models of future lignocellulose-to-ethanol pathways were constructed, considering corn stover, switchgrass, and poplar feedstocks, three pre-treatment technologies, four co-product options, and the use of ethanol in a light-duty vehicle. Model results showed that all pathways with lignin pellet co-production had significantly lower net GHG emissions relative to gasoline and corresponding pathways producing only electricity. Pathways co-producing xylitol had at least 66% greater GHG emission reductions relative to pathways co-producing only lignin pellets. All feedstock/pretreatment/co-product combinations led to GHG reductions of at least 60%, meeting the threshold stipulated under the Energy Independence and Security Act.