abstract: Photovoltaics (PV) is an environmentally promising technology to meet climate goals and transition away from greenhouse-gas (GHG) intensive sources of electricity. The dominant approach to improve the environmental gains from PV is increasing the module efficiency and, thereby, the renewable electricity generated during use. While increasing the use-phase environmental benefits, this approach doesn’t address environmentally intensive PV manufacturing and recycling processes. Lifecycle assessment (LCA), the preferred framework to identify and address environmental hotspots in PV manufacturing and recycling, doesn’t account for time-sensitive climate impact of PV manufacturing GHG emissions and underestimates the climate benefit of manufacturing improvements. Furthermore, LCA is inherently retrospective by relying on inventory data collected from commercial-scale processes that have matured over time and this approach cannot evaluate environmentally promising pilot-scale alternatives based on lab-scale data. Also, prospective-LCAs that rely on hotspot analysis to guide future environmental improvements, (1) don’t account for stake-holder inputs to guide environmental choices in a specific decision context, and (2) may fail in a comparative context where the mutual differences in the environmental impacts of the alternatives and not the environmental hotspots of a particular alternative determine the environmentally preferable alternative This thesis addresses the aforementioned problematic aspects by (1)using the time-sensitive radiative-forcing metric to identify PV manufacturing improvements with the highest climate benefit, (2)identifying the environmental hotspots in the incumbent CdTe-PV recycling process, and (3)applying the anticipatory-LCA framework to identify the most environmentally favorable alternative to address the recycling hotspot and significant stakeholder inputs that can impact the choice of the preferred recycling alternative. The results show that using low-carbon electricity is the most significant PV manufacturing improvement and is equivalent to increasing the mono-Si and multi-Si module efficiency from a baseline of 17% to 21.7% and 16% to 18.7%, respectively. The elimination of the ethylene-vinyl acetate encapsulant through mechanical and chemical processes is the most significant environmental hotspot for CdTe PV recycling. Thermal delamination is the most promising environmental alternative to address this hotspot. The most significant stake-holder input to influence the choice of the environmentally preferable recycling alternative is the weight assigned to the different environmental impact categories. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil and Environmental Engineering 2016

Automobiles have evolved from meeting transportation needs of their owners a century ago, to addressing transportation desires of their owners today. They now meet the owner’s desire for status though sign values such as speed, safety, environmental consciousness, sexual desire, freedom, masculinity etc., and are anthropomorphised by creatively invented names. It comes as little surprise that the transport sector alone accounts for nearly a quarter of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – levels that are further expected to double by 2050. Germany, which is the highest emitter of GHGs in Europe recorded nearly 1 Gt GHG emissions in 2016 alone. Such high concentration of emissions from the German transport sector can in some part be attributed to the autobahn network in Germany – 2/3rd of which have no mandated speed limits, thus encouraging the car manufacturers to design cars that are operation worthy even at speeds of up to 250 km/ h (or higher), that are unrepresentative of real world driving conditions. This thesis aims at quantifying the environmental impact of this design for high top speeds in passenger cars from a systems perspective. This is achieved by using a comparative lifecycle assessment of passenger cars from a cradle-to-grave approach. A number of passenger car specifications are modelled which include a representative base case for a German car, vehicle light-weighting approach through material substitution, and down engineered car. The results of the comparative lifecycle assessment showed that, light-weighting a passenger car through material substitution showed a reduction of between 3 to 9% in impact categories such climate change, particulate matter formation, fossil depletion, human toxicity and terrestrial eco-toxicity as compared to the baseline levels. Higher reductions of nearly 12% and 31%, were observed in the marine eco-toxicity and the metal depletion impact categories respectively. However, there exists potential to reduce up to 40% in all selected environmental impact categories when comparing baseline passenger car to a down engineered one. Further, light-weighting a passenger car through higher material substitution showed an increase in the indirect energy consumption and higher impacts in ten out of the eighteen impact categories, as compared to a lower material substitution option. Thus, an important conclusion drawn from this thesis is that when implementing steps to reduce environmental impacts of passenger cars, shift of burden must be avoided between the lifecycle phases as well as the impact categories.

This research investigates the environment and development issues of three stakeholders at multiple scales—global, national, regional, and local. Through the analysis of financial, social, and environmental metrics, the potential benefits and risks of each case study are estimated, and their implications are considered. In the first case study, the relationship of manufacturing and environmental performance is investigated. Over 700 facilities of a global manufacturer that produce 11 products on six continents were investigated to understand global variations and determinants of environmental performance. Water, energy, carbon dioxide emissions, and production data from these facilities were analyzed to assess environmental performance; the relationship of production composition at the individual firm and environmental performance were investigated. Location-independent environmental performance metrics were combined to provide both global and local measures of environmental performance. These models were extended to estimate future water use, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions considering potential demand shifts. Natural resource depletion risks were investigated, and mitigation strategies related to vulnerabilities and exposure were discussed. The case study demonstrated how data from multiple facilities can be used to characterize the variability amongst facilities and to preview how changes in production may affect overall corporate environmental metrics. The developed framework adds a new approach to account for environmental performance and degradation as well as assess potential risk in locations where climate change may affect the availability of production resources (i.e., water and energy) and thus, is a tool for understanding risk and maintaining competitive advantage. The second case study was designed to address the issue of delivering affordable and sustainable energy. Energy pricing was evaluated by modeling individual energy consumption behaviors. This analysis simulated a heterogeneous set of residential households in both the urban and rural environments in order to understand demand shifts in the residential energy end-use sector due to the effects of electricity pricing. An agent-based model (ABM) was created to investigate the interactions of energy policy and individual household behaviors; the model incorporated empirical data on beliefs and perceptions of energy. The environmental beliefs, energy pricing grievances, and social networking dynamics were integrated into the ABM model structure. This model projected the aggregate residential sector electricity demand throughout the 30-year time period as well as distinguished the respective number of households who only use electricity, that use solely rely on indigenous fuels, and that incorporate both indigenous fuels and electricity. The model is one of the first characterizations of household electricity demand response and fuel transitions related to energy pricing at the individual household level, and is one of the first approaches to evaluating consumer grievance and rioting response to energy service delivery. The model framework is suggested as an innovative tool for energy policy analysis and can easily be revised to assist policy makers in other developing countries. In the final case study, a framework was developed for a broad cost-benefit and greenhouse gas evaluation of transit systems and their associated developments. A case study was developed of the Atlanta BeltLine. The net greenhouse gas emissions from the BeltLine light rail system will depend on the energy efficiency of the streetcars themselves, the greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity used to power the streetcars, the extent to which people use the BeltLine instead of driving personal vehicles, and the efficiency of their vehicles. The effects of ridership, residential densities, and housing mix on environmental performance were investigated and were used to estimate the overall system efficacy. The range of the net present value of this system was estimated considering health, congestion, per capita greenhouse gas emissions, and societal costs and benefits on a time-varying scale as well as considering the construction and operational costs. The 95% confidence interval was found with a range bounded by a potential loss of $860 million and a benefit of $2.3 billion; the mean net present value was $610 million. It is estimated that the system will generate a savings of $220 per ton of emitted CO2 with a 95% confidence interval bounded by a potential social cost of $86 cost per ton CO2 and a savings of $595 per ton CO2.

In 2005, the Recycling Council of Ontario published a report that identified the construction industry as one sector that did not manage its waste in an environmentally appropriate manner. In this report, Let’s Climb Another Molehill, 15 case studies were executed to understand why this industry was neither handling nor disposing its waste properly in Southern Ontario. A set of generic recommendations was generated to help improve the management of this industry’s waste. Unfortunately the scope of the report was too broad to support conclusions about the management of specific types of problematic construction waste. The aim of this thesis is to narrow what was done in Let’s Climb Another Molehill to focus only on gypsum wallboard. The purpose of this research is to determine what options are the most desirable and feasible to deal sustainably with gypsum wallboard waste in Southern Ontario, both now and in the future. All recommendations offered are case specific. A number of methods have been utilized to obtain the information needed to formulate appropriate recommendations to deal with wallboard. Information learned through the literature, witnessed through the observation sessions, and acquired through the interviews led to two unique option categories: 1) alternative materials and 2) change in practices. To evaluate these options, a set of criteria was created based on the concepts of sustainability and integrated waste management (IWM). This sustainable IWM criteria set allowed for consistent evaluation of the options. To improve the recommendations, the sustainable IWM criteria were refined to better deal with each of the two categories of options. When the sustainable IWM criteria for evaluating alternative materials were applied, gypsum wallboard was found still to be the best interior wall material to use today. However, applying the sustainable IWM criteria for evaluating change in practices showed that the problem with using this product lies with its management and, therefore, the remaining recommendations focus on improving the creation, use and disposal of wallboard. Many of these recommendations can easily be adopted to help eliminate inappropriate wallboard management practices. This research was able to identify areas where problems arose and to offer feasible options to improve environmentally inappropriate behaviors associated with wallboard management. Although numerous recommendations are offered, the three fundamental recommendations that will lead to the biggest change include: 1) greater number of educational programs devoted to the construction industry; 2) stricter regulations and better enforcement; and 3) a dramatic increase in landfill tipping fees. If these three recommendations were implemented, it is believed that they will play a positive role in managing gypsum wallboard waste in a more sustainable manner.

In 2005, the Recycling Council of Ontario published a report that identified the construction industry as one sector that did not manage its waste in an environmentally appropriate manner. In this report, Let’s Climb Another Molehill, 15 case studies were executed to understand why this industry was neither handling nor disposing its waste properly in Southern Ontario. A set of generic recommendations was generated to help improve the management of this industry’s waste. Unfortunately the scope of the report was too broad to support conclusions about the management of specific types of problematic construction waste. The aim of this thesis is to narrow what was done in Let’s Climb Another Molehill to focus only on gypsum wallboard. The purpose of this research is to determine what options are the most desirable and feasible to deal sustainably with gypsum wallboard waste in Southern Ontario, both now and in the future. All recommendations offered are case specific. A number of methods have been utilized to obtain the information needed to formulate appropriate recommendations to deal with wallboard. Information learned through the literature, witnessed through the observation sessions, and acquired through the interviews led to two unique option categories: 1) alternative materials and 2) change in practices. To evaluate these options, a set of criteria was created based on the concepts of sustainability and integrated waste management (IWM). This sustainable IWM criteria set allowed for consistent evaluation of the options. To improve the recommendations, the sustainable IWM criteria were refined to better deal with each of the two categories of options. When the sustainable IWM criteria for evaluating alternative materials were applied, gypsum wallboard was found still to be the best interior wall material to use today. However, applying the sustainable IWM criteria for evaluating change in practices showed that the problem with using this product lies with its management and, therefore, the remaining recommendations focus on improving the creation, use and disposal of wallboard. Many of these recommendations can easily be adopted to help eliminate inappropriate wallboard management practices. This research was able to identify areas where problems arose and to offer feasible options to improve environmentally inappropriate behaviors associated with wallboard management. Although numerous recommendations are offered, the three fundamental recommendations that will lead to the biggest change include: 1) greater number of educational programs devoted to the construction industry; 2) stricter regulations and better enforcement; and 3) a dramatic increase in landfill tipping fees. If these three recommendations were implemented, it is believed that they will play a positive role in managing gypsum wallboard waste in a more sustainable manner.

Packaging for food products has impacts on the environment. In particular, single-use packaging have been criticized for the environmental and social impact created along recycling supply-chains in Asia. As a result, reusable packaging for food products started to reappear in Europe. This paper evaluates the environmental impacts of reusable packaging for Unwrapped’s business model using the organisational lifecycle assessment framework. The overall impacts of the organisation and hotspots of reusable packa ging are identified and compared with a reference retail activity using single-use packaging. The upstream processes of production of food products resulted in being the most significant impacts. However, reusable packaging performed worse and better than single-use packaging depending on the number of uses. The identified improvements for reusable packaging materials are proposed by increasing the number of uses. Changes in the upstream mode of transportation are other adopted improvement options for Unwra pped’s business model. The organisational lifecycle assessment framework highlighted issues in the current supply chain system that affect the niche business model in achieving the positive environmental benefits of reusable packaging. However, the reusable packaging business model shows promising aspects in a move towards sustainable businesses. / Matförpackningar påverkar miljön. Särskilt blev engångsförpackningar kritiserad för dessa miljö och sociala påverkan i återvinningsbranschen i Asien. och möjligheter. Återanvändbara förpackningar reintroducerades till marknaden i Europa. Den här avhandlingen kommer att granska och diskutera användning av återvinningsbara förpackningar i Unwrappeds affärsmodell med hjälp av organisationens livscykelanalys. Unwrappeds miljöpåverkan fastställs och jämförs med liknande affärsmodeller för engångsförpackning. Matproduktion innan förpackningen har den mest betydande påverkan. Återvinningsbara förpackningar visade sig vara bättre eller sämre beroende på antal gånger dem används. De fastställda förbättringarna för återanvändbara förpackningsmaterial är att återanvända dem så många gånger som möjligt. Förändringar i transportering är en annan förbättringsalternativ för Unwrappeds affärsmodell. Ramen för organisationens livscykelanalys påpekade problemen i nuvarande försörjningskedjans system som påverkar nischverksamhet för att uppnå miljövänligare återvinnin gsbara förpackningar. Dock, återvinningsbara förpackningars affärsmodeller visar lovande perspektiv på steg mot hållbara affären.

Sustainability is a major focus for the industry considering the awareness among the public and legislators due to climate change. Automotive manufacturers use many steel products for assembly of vehicles and, many of these products; particularly the heavy and critical components like Front Axle beams and Crankshafts are manufactured using forging process. Due to increased awareness and regulations, all companies are expected to provide environmental impact data relevant to their products. Nonetheless, providing environmental impact data is not yet a common practice in the manufacturing industry, specifically in case of the forged products. Therefore, this thesis aims to establish a comprehensive study of environmental impacts of products namely Heavy vehicle Front Axle Beams, Heavy vehicle Crankshafts, Passenger car Crankshafts and Heavy vehicle steering arms forged at Bharat Forge Kilsta AB and create a baseline for current impact calculations as well as highlight areas for improvement in the future. Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) is used as the method to study the environmental impacts of the forged products. The LCA method in this case is based on ISO 14044 and ILCD Handbook and the impact assessment methods used are EPD (2018) and Cumulative Energy Demand (LHV) v1.0 in accordance with EPD International’s requirements. This research finds that steel and the electricity used in the forging process are the major causes of environmental impacts. To ensure high accuracy of the results of this study, primary data for both steel and electricity is used in the analysis. The LCA results will be published in the form of Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The CO2 footprint for an average product was found to be 0.89 kg CO2 / kg forged product. Previous studies have utilised average datasets for calculating environmental impacts of forged products which reduce the accuracy of the results. This study, due to the inclusion of primary data of steel manufacturing and electricity generation, provides highly accurate environmental impact results of forged products. / Hållbarhet är ett stort fokus för branschen med tanke på medvetenheten hos lagstiftare och allmänheten på grund av klimatförändringar. Biltillverkare använder många stålprodukter för montering av fordon och många av dessa produkter; speciellt de tunga och kritiska komponenterna som framaxelbalkar och vevaxlar tillverkas med hjälp av smidesprocess. På grund av ökad medvetenhet och bestämmelser förväntas alla företag tillhandahålla data på miljöpåverkan som är relevanta för sina produkter. Icke desto mindre är det ännu inte vanligt att tillhandahålla miljöpåverkansdata inom tillverkningsindustrin, särskilt när det gäller smidesprodukter. Därför syftar denna avhandling till att upprätta en omfattande studie av miljöpåverkan från produkter, specifikt framaxelbalkar för tunga fordon, vevaxlar för tunga fordon, vevaxlar för personbilar och styrarmar för tunga fordon smidda hos Bharat Forge Kilsta AB och skapa en bas för aktuella påverkansberäkningar och för att belysa framtida förbättringsområden. Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) används som metod för att studera de smidda produkternas miljöpåverkan. LCA-metoden i detta fall är baserad på ISO 14044 och ILCD Handbook och de konsekvensbedömningsmetoder som används är EPD (2018)och Cumulative Energy Demand (LHV) v1.0 i enlighet med krav från EPD International. Denna forskning visar att stål och elektricitet som används i smidesprocessen är de främsta orsakerna till miljöpåverkan. För att säkerställa hög noggrannhet av resultaten av denna studie används primärdata för både stål och el i analysen. LCA resultaten kommer att publiceras i form av Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). CO2-avtrycket för en genomsnittlig produkt visade sig vara 0,89 kg CO2/kgsmidd produkt. Tidigare studier har använt genomsnittliga datamängder för att beräkna miljöpåverkan från smidda produkter som minskar noggrannheten i resultaten. Denna studie, på grund av inkluderingen av primärdata för ståltillverkning och elproduktion, ger mycket exakta miljöpåverkansresultat av smidda produkter.

A busca por energias renováveis no setor de transportes fez com que os biocombustíveis se destacassem. No entanto, a preocupação com a sustentabilidade na produção dessas fontes alternativas motivou diversas iniciativas na proposição de critérios com o intuito de reduzir os impactos ambientais e garantir os benefícios desses biocombustíveis, principalmente relacionados à redução da emissão de gases de efeito estufa (GEE). Países como os Estados Unidos e membros da União Européia criaram legislação específica com a finalidade de direcionar esses critérios tanto para a produção interna, quanto para a importação dessas fontes de energia. A principal metodologia presente nessas legislações e utilizada na caracterização da cadeia dos biocombustíveis é a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Este trabalho teve por objetivo comparar os resultados da Diretiva Européia para Energias Renováveis, para as emissões de GEE no ciclo de vida do etanol de cana-de-açúcar, com os estudos nacionais de maior relevância, a fim de verificar se há diferenças significativas entre eles. A partir desta análise, foi possível concluir que há diferenças entre os estudos, principalmente relacionadas à etapa agrícola, mas que, no entanto, foram pontuais, sendo balanceadas entre os processos e atingindo, em sua maioria, um resultado final semelhante de emissões de GEE entre eles. Neste trabalho também foram discutidas as incertezas existentes nos estudos de ACV do etanol de cana-de-açúcar, principalmente relacionadas às emissões pelo uso de fertilizantes nitrogenados e a mudança indireta do uso do solo. Além disso, a partir das contribuições de instituições brasileiras no estabelecimento de diretrizes para que o etanol fosse aceito como importante combustível na redução dos GEE, este trabalho apresentou a relevância em se discutir as normativas internacionais de sustentabilidade, para que os critérios não sejam considerados como mais uma barreira protecionista ao comércio de biocombustíveis. / The search for renewable energy to be used in the transportation sector emphasized the role of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. However, concerns about the sustainability in the production of alternative sources stimulated several initiatives aiming to reduce environmental impacts and ensure the benefits of biofuels, mainly related to the reduction of greenhouse gases emission (GHGs). In order to address such question, countries such as United States and European Union members have designed specific legislation establishing social and environmental criteria for domestic production and imports of biofuels. The main methodology adopted in these laws and used to characterize the biofuels chain is the Life Cycle Assessment. Thus, this study aimed to compare the results on GHG emission of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) in the lifecycle of sugar cane ethanol to most relevant studies developed within the country in order to verify differences between them. From the analysis, it was concluded that there were differences, mainly related to the agricultural phase, but they were specific, and balanced between the processes; resulting, in most cases, in quite similar final GHG emissions. In this work, it were also indicated the uncertainties in sugar cane ethanol LCA studies, mainly associated to emissions due the use of nitrogen fertilizer and indirect land use change. Furthermore, based on the contributions of Brazilian organizations in establishing guidelines for the acceptance of ethanol as an important fuel to GHG emissions reduction, this study showed the relevance of discussing international standards of sustainability, considered another protectionist barrier to biofuels trade.

A busca por energias renováveis no setor de transportes fez com que os biocombustíveis se destacassem. No entanto, a preocupação com a sustentabilidade na produção dessas fontes alternativas motivou diversas iniciativas na proposição de critérios com o intuito de reduzir os impactos ambientais e garantir os benefícios desses biocombustíveis, principalmente relacionados à redução da emissão de gases de efeito estufa (GEE). Países como os Estados Unidos e membros da União Européia criaram legislação específica com a finalidade de direcionar esses critérios tanto para a produção interna, quanto para a importação dessas fontes de energia. A principal metodologia presente nessas legislações e utilizada na caracterização da cadeia dos biocombustíveis é a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Este trabalho teve por objetivo comparar os resultados da Diretiva Européia para Energias Renováveis, para as emissões de GEE no ciclo de vida do etanol de cana-de-açúcar, com os estudos nacionais de maior relevância, a fim de verificar se há diferenças significativas entre eles. A partir desta análise, foi possível concluir que há diferenças entre os estudos, principalmente relacionadas à etapa agrícola, mas que, no entanto, foram pontuais, sendo balanceadas entre os processos e atingindo, em sua maioria, um resultado final semelhante de emissões de GEE entre eles. Neste trabalho também foram discutidas as incertezas existentes nos estudos de ACV do etanol de cana-de-açúcar, principalmente relacionadas às emissões pelo uso de fertilizantes nitrogenados e a mudança indireta do uso do solo. Além disso, a partir das contribuições de instituições brasileiras no estabelecimento de diretrizes para que o etanol fosse aceito como importante combustível na redução dos GEE, este trabalho apresentou a relevância em se discutir as normativas internacionais de sustentabilidade, para que os critérios não sejam considerados como mais uma barreira protecionista ao comércio de biocombustíveis. / The search for renewable energy to be used in the transportation sector emphasized the role of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. However, concerns about the sustainability in the production of alternative sources stimulated several initiatives aiming to reduce environmental impacts and ensure the benefits of biofuels, mainly related to the reduction of greenhouse gases emission (GHGs). In order to address such question, countries such as United States and European Union members have designed specific legislation establishing social and environmental criteria for domestic production and imports of biofuels. The main methodology adopted in these laws and used to characterize the biofuels chain is the Life Cycle Assessment. Thus, this study aimed to compare the results on GHG emission of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) in the lifecycle of sugar cane ethanol to most relevant studies developed within the country in order to verify differences between them. From the analysis, it was concluded that there were differences, mainly related to the agricultural phase, but they were specific, and balanced between the processes; resulting, in most cases, in quite similar final GHG emissions. In this work, it were also indicated the uncertainties in sugar cane ethanol LCA studies, mainly associated to emissions due the use of nitrogen fertilizer and indirect land use change. Furthermore, based on the contributions of Brazilian organizations in establishing guidelines for the acceptance of ethanol as an important fuel to GHG emissions reduction, this study showed the relevance of discussing international standards of sustainability, considered another protectionist barrier to biofuels trade.

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